New Media, Old Media

New Media, Old Media

Sometimes it seems as though the favorite stories of newspaper editors are those about the impeding end of the newspaper business. It appears to be generally accepted that the way of the future is cable news shows and online, fast-streaming news, free or otherwise.
The problem with the switch Americans have essentially already made to online news is the true downfall of new media: it gives Americans what they want- exactly what they want- instead of what they really need. Cable and network shows cater to the wants of Americans, providing scandalous celebrity stories and airy fluff pieces. On the internet, the people are the station editors- they can choose Perez Hilton over CNN, Hulu instead of Paul Krugman. Today, no one is keeping Americans informed. For the first time, everyone has other options than just the news, and, subsequently, news shows and sites struggle as Americans become less informed.

The Huffington Post, the brainchild of Arianna Huffington, is, for many people, the biggest symbol of new media on the web. But even her site- widely respected as a news source- understands that to survive today, you've got to give people what they want, not just what they need. To be fair, the Huffington Post is probably one of the best at mixing the two, creating a site that not only has pop culture and the news equivalent of MacDonalds, but also one that offers commentary from the leading political minds on important issues. So some junk food in the media isn't bad- you just don't want to consume it exclusively.
Varied media sources are important, and there's nothing wrong with celebrity news sites like TMZ. It's just that, in the past, the 'TMZ'-eque stories were in papers that also provided hard news and expert commentary.
And media junk food isn't always what people think it is. Americans seem to think that commentary in the media- anything ranging from Glenn Beck to Paul Krugman to Rachel Maddow- is bad. That is not the case. Commentary is OK for the media, in fact, it may even be good for it. Sections of the media that are opinion based and acknowledge to be so have been around for a very long time, starting with editorial and opinion pages of a newspaper. And, after all, what is television new commentary but a live op/ed page? As long as editorializing is saved for commentary programs, it isn't a downfall of new media, nor is it even really new.
The new media outlets are, in the long run, good for the news industry. They open new doors and new outlets for publications and make information available in a way it never was before. There are innumerable positives that come with the boom of new media and, if harnessed correctly, it could lead to a more informed public. Today, however, that is not yet happening. New media outlets- if they want to do their jobs- need to give people what they need, not just what they want.

[photo credit: micropersuasion.com]