ever changing, ever constant

For years, journalists have been in control of what the news is, and when and how the public gets it. Now, they are learning -- they have to, anyway -- that they do not have a monopoly on this.

Not everyone who blogs/moblogs is a reporter or a journalist -- or wants to be -- but bloggers/mobloggers have speed, access to sources, and low-cost, portable technology on their side. Journalists will benefit from these tools with reduced production times. More importantly, blogs/moblogs are adding a new dimension to journalism, in the form of “user-generated content.” This opens the way for a two-way flow of news, which gives journalists a new source of news and information.

It makes no sense for journalists to be in competition with bloggers or mobloggers. Nor must they become complacent and leave all the work to the blogging/moblogging public. It is important to harness the potential of blogs/moblogs in newsgathering. But more than ever, journalists must be able to make sense of all the information out there, fact-checking, framing stories, and providing context -- skills that are necessary regardless of medium. They will have to separate the chaff from the grain.

As Howard Rheingold writes in “Moblogs Seen as a Crystal Ball for a New Era in Online Journalism:”

“… the most important remaining ingredient of a truly democratized electronic newsgathering is neither a kind of hardware nor a variety of software, but a species of literacy—widespread knowledge of how to use these tools to produce news stories that are attention-getting, non-trivial, and credible.

Journalism, if it to deserve the name,… is about the journalist’s intuition, integrity, courage, inquisitiveness, analytic and expressive capabilities, and above all, the trust the journalist has earned among readers.”

Journalists must continue to exercise their conscience in their work. Ethical standards must never be compromised by speed and technology. There is nothing wrong with speed -- but “instant” should not mean “reckless.” The ability to produce instant news must be balanced by sound judgment calls.

Blogging/moblogging will continue to change the way journalists work. Nevertheless, much will remain the same.