3 ms·

Let's keep it in perspective: each of those sentences does have a background story worthy of exploring further. One may get the best of both worlds if one coul

by rickmb 16y ago

Let's keep it in perspective: each of those sentences does have a background story worthy of exploring further. One may get the best of both worlds if one could, like, click on those pieces of text. That would be awesome. We could call it "hypertext"... The bottomline is that we've been stuck with the same issue for the past 10+ years: bloggers don't have the writing/journalistic skills, and MSM refuses to take advantage of the technology. And we'll have to make do with two types of half-assed products, piecing them together ourselves (with the help of sites like HN) to get the whole picture. No wonder no one is willing to pay for content.

randall 16y ago
There is some hope. While I can't provide huge amounts of detail, some TV stations are seeing the writing on the wall. I've spoken with one in particular who realizes that a) NBC/CBS/ABC is going to become a cable / internet network at some point, leaving the local station that much more time to fill. Also b) most people aren't turning to TV news, except in extraordinary cases where it fills a real need. (TRUE breaking news, think 9/11, local standoffs, fires, earthquakes, etc.) They're talking about giving reporters 2 days to do 1 story. Each story is double or triple the length, and hopefully even more times the quality of the traditional 1:30 package. They're hoping the quality of the story can be spread via Facebook / the internet, and then have people come back and watch the newscast because it's a place to find out about quality things happening in their community. The current problem? The news staff doesn't want to do that. They want to stay on their current course. These signs point to a new hybrid form of journalism that excites me. A longer, in-depth story where appropriate, but also the bite-sized chunks which blogs have somewhat perfected. Will it work perfectly? Not tomorrow. I'm confident, however, that it will work at some point in the future. Anyone else who reads HN and who's looking at solving the same problem should get in contact with me. I want to talk to smart folks about the future of journalism. My specific slant is the video part, but I'd love to hear from smart folks thinking about all angles.
- brandnewlow 16y ago
  Problem with your idea: "a place to find out about quality things happening in their community" is not something normal people actually want. It's something HNers and a small subset of news consumers want, but not the general public. They want to be entertained, even while watching "the news." Normal people never want something to be "longer" and more "in-depth." That's a niche.
  - randall 16y ago
    Looks like we'll have some data to back up these assumptions. That's all they've been in the past. Who says entertainment and quality have to be mutually exclusive? I don't. I think the counterpoint to this is what got us in this situation where people are turning off the tube en masse.

by rickmb 16y ago

randall 16y ago

There is some hope. While I can't provide huge amounts of detail, some TV stations are seeing the writing on the wall. I've spoken with one in particular who realizes that a) NBC/CBS/ABC is going to become a cable / internet network at some point, leaving the local station that much more time to fill. Also b) most people aren't turning to TV news, except in extraordinary cases where it fills a real need. (TRUE breaking news, think 9/11, local standoffs, fires, earthquakes, etc.) They're talking about giving reporters 2 days to do 1 story. Each story is double or triple the length, and hopefully even more times the quality of the traditional 1:30 package. They're hoping the quality of the story can be spread via Facebook / the internet, and then have people come back and watch the newscast because it's a place to find out about quality things happening in their community. The current problem? The news staff doesn't want to do that. They want to stay on their current course. These signs point to a new hybrid form of journalism that excites me. A longer, in-depth story where appropriate, but also the bite-sized chunks which blogs have somewhat perfected. Will it work perfectly? Not tomorrow. I'm confident, however, that it will work at some point in the future. Anyone else who reads HN and who's looking at solving the same problem should get in contact with me. I want to talk to smart folks about the future of journalism. My specific slant is the video part, but I'd love to hear from smart folks thinking about all angles.

brandnewlow 16y ago
Problem with your idea: "a place to find out about quality things happening in their community" is not something normal people actually want. It's something HNers and a small subset of news consumers want, but not the general public. They want to be entertained, even while watching "the news." Normal people never want something to be "longer" and more "in-depth." That's a niche.
- randall 16y ago
  Looks like we'll have some data to back up these assumptions. That's all they've been in the past. Who says entertainment and quality have to be mutually exclusive? I don't. I think the counterpoint to this is what got us in this situation where people are turning off the tube en masse.