Media-A-Go-Go
I was struck by a recent Gallup poll that suggested that 57% of "Americans say they have little or no trust in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly." The poll suggest that this is actually little change over the past few years, but otherwise, I can't say I find it very surprising. Indeed, as someone who allegedly works in the media (that is to say, I allegedly work), I'm surprised the number's as conservative as it is, because frankly, I don't actually know what is and is not technically "media" anymore, and I'm a little suspicious of anyone who would trust such widely diverse news sources as NPR, the New York Times, Fox News, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Glenn Beck, the Washington Post, a few gazillion blogs and a handful of slam poets screaming about injustice in dimly lit bars. I think, somewhere in the intersection of all these things, the news and the punditry, the political ideologies and the honest-to-goodness news reporting (it still exists. I've seen it), is something that probably reflects the fragmented existence of the everyday American. "Media," in all its haziness, is a bit of a funhouse mirror, but funhouse mirrors reflect all sorts of things, and not all the reflections are distorted. Perhaps it's best, as the old conventional wisdom goes, to consult a variety of news sources, and make one's own opinions.
But still, it's an interesting time for media, hereafter referred to without quote marks, a time where news and publishing businesses are trying to get a handle on a quicksilver future. And here's the truth: Everybody's guessing. The slick suits at newspaper corporate offices who are reading analysis and devising paywall strategies; the indignant bloggers ranting and raving that those paywalls will never work; Both the proponents and critics of AOL's Patch.com; the comic book companies turned movie moguls who are trying to figure out how to restructure for the future. Everybody. Certainly, I suspect some of them are on to something, such as former Soft Skull Publisher Richard Nash, who is putting forth some really interesting ideas about publishing books, or Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, who thinks NPR and the Daily Show are really the shape of media to come, but in that, he really hits on the fact that, at their core, both are actually fairly traditional news organizations, in their odd ways. Only the presentation changes, the sense of style. Underneath both is a devotion to facts.
Stewart always seems so horrified when people point that out, but even he's quick to point out his team's devotion to fact-checking and research. Fact-checking and research seem underrated qualities, these days, but I think, slowly, people are shaking off the psychedelia of media that comes at them from all angles constantly, and beginning to look for more grounded news sources. Certainly, it seems people are getting tired of the antics of the likes of Rick Sanchez, James O'Keefe, and the Fox anchors who bought a Weekly World News story about the LA police buying jetpacks. Maybe there are reasons why Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity is catching on so quickly.
But nonetheless, there is a confusion when we talk about all of these things, about news and punditry, art and entertainment, print and Web. I don't think the average person knows where one begins or ends, and why, and to tell the truth, I'm not sure anybody knows. It's the big thing everyone's trying to figure out. It takes time. If, as the Guardian's Charlotte Higgins writes, everything is connected, and that the arts have a delicate ecosystem, perhaps, too, that ecosystem extends out throughout the so-called media. And perhaps all of it is out-of-whack.
I don't have answers. Wish I did, but then, I'd likely be a richer man. You don't have answers, either. Please don't insult us both by saying otherwise. Just enjoy this time, this crazy, mixed-up moment of possibility. These are the cultural moments you look back on and marvel at, when everyone is throwing their wildest ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. It probably won't be this crazy much longer. Another few years, a decade maybe, and some sort of order will probably emerge. It'll all likely seem staid. That'll be a relief. But it'll also be kind of a shame.
***
Other things of interest lately:
*There's a great piece up on The Geek Feminism Blog about connecting with female characters in geek television, centering on Dr. Who's River Song and Torchwood's Gwen Cooper. Really good read.
*Former Nov3rd columnist Phil West is writing for the Huffington Post! His first post is a riveting piece on Bristol Palin, Dancing with the Stars and the mid-term elections! (Oh, and the Nov3rd archives are here, for the moment. Hopefully will be back up under their old URL soon, but it's taking longer than hoped.)
*Am absolutely captivated by the brewing ICT vs. Lew Evangelides feud. It really speaks to my lowest, most prurient insticnts, but I really can't look away. Forgive me. I am only human. (Of course, if a certain column that was allegedly spiked at a news organization I don't currently work for that won't be named here were to run, things would be even more entertaining. Sigh. My delight in chaos will inevitably be my downfall.)
But still, it's an interesting time for media, hereafter referred to without quote marks, a time where news and publishing businesses are trying to get a handle on a quicksilver future. And here's the truth: Everybody's guessing. The slick suits at newspaper corporate offices who are reading analysis and devising paywall strategies; the indignant bloggers ranting and raving that those paywalls will never work; Both the proponents and critics of AOL's Patch.com; the comic book companies turned movie moguls who are trying to figure out how to restructure for the future. Everybody. Certainly, I suspect some of them are on to something, such as former Soft Skull Publisher Richard Nash, who is putting forth some really interesting ideas about publishing books, or Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, who thinks NPR and the Daily Show are really the shape of media to come, but in that, he really hits on the fact that, at their core, both are actually fairly traditional news organizations, in their odd ways. Only the presentation changes, the sense of style. Underneath both is a devotion to facts.
Stewart always seems so horrified when people point that out, but even he's quick to point out his team's devotion to fact-checking and research. Fact-checking and research seem underrated qualities, these days, but I think, slowly, people are shaking off the psychedelia of media that comes at them from all angles constantly, and beginning to look for more grounded news sources. Certainly, it seems people are getting tired of the antics of the likes of Rick Sanchez, James O'Keefe, and the Fox anchors who bought a Weekly World News story about the LA police buying jetpacks. Maybe there are reasons why Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity is catching on so quickly.
But nonetheless, there is a confusion when we talk about all of these things, about news and punditry, art and entertainment, print and Web. I don't think the average person knows where one begins or ends, and why, and to tell the truth, I'm not sure anybody knows. It's the big thing everyone's trying to figure out. It takes time. If, as the Guardian's Charlotte Higgins writes, everything is connected, and that the arts have a delicate ecosystem, perhaps, too, that ecosystem extends out throughout the so-called media. And perhaps all of it is out-of-whack.
I don't have answers. Wish I did, but then, I'd likely be a richer man. You don't have answers, either. Please don't insult us both by saying otherwise. Just enjoy this time, this crazy, mixed-up moment of possibility. These are the cultural moments you look back on and marvel at, when everyone is throwing their wildest ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. It probably won't be this crazy much longer. Another few years, a decade maybe, and some sort of order will probably emerge. It'll all likely seem staid. That'll be a relief. But it'll also be kind of a shame.
***
Other things of interest lately:
*There's a great piece up on The Geek Feminism Blog about connecting with female characters in geek television, centering on Dr. Who's River Song and Torchwood's Gwen Cooper. Really good read.
*Former Nov3rd columnist Phil West is writing for the Huffington Post! His first post is a riveting piece on Bristol Palin, Dancing with the Stars and the mid-term elections! (Oh, and the Nov3rd archives are here, for the moment. Hopefully will be back up under their old URL soon, but it's taking longer than hoped.)
*Am absolutely captivated by the brewing ICT vs. Lew Evangelides feud. It really speaks to my lowest, most prurient insticnts, but I really can't look away. Forgive me. I am only human. (Of course, if a certain column that was allegedly spiked at a news organization I don't currently work for that won't be named here were to run, things would be even more entertaining. Sigh. My delight in chaos will inevitably be my downfall.)
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