Is Associated Content the Future of Journalism?
People's Media Company Provides Unprecedented Opportunity for Citizen Journalism
I began to ponder this question after excitedly sharing information about Associated Content with my college advisor. As a journalism major and editor of my campus newspaper, I have often pondered about the future of the journalism profession in the Internet age. As more and more people turn to the Internet for news rather than traditional print publications, I had to wonder if the story scoopers, Fedora hats and Watergate journalists would become a thing of the past.
I had to admit that in my first few experiences with Associated Content, I questioned the validity and credibility of the kind of content published on the website. Are tips on how to make the most of leftover Christmas ribbon and coverage devoted Hollywood celebrities more important than what I see as the most important issues facing our nation, like Iraq and the impeachable offenses committed at the hands of President George W. Bush? Were the Associated Content stories no more than "fluff"?
However, I was pleased to find that coverage about such important issues exists just as regularly on Associated Content as the opinion pieces and how-tos. As a matter of fact, the coverage of news in the United States that exists on Associated Content is unique in that it also contains the viewpoints of regular, average Americans, which are often left out of traditional print publications. AC content producers provide valuable insights into issues like Iraq that reporters for publications like The Washington Post would never think to include in their stories. This citizen journalism started to become widespread in America with the usage of blogs and other forums where readers can leave their own two cents about a story. Associated Content is the only credible, paying website for citizen journalists, making it more valuable and worthy than I initially thought possible.
I have started to promote Associated Content and the stories it publishes to everyone I know. I not only encourage them to read and rate my own content (for the obvious reasons of more page views and higher clout for myself) but I have told them to search through all of the different categories Associated Content has to offer. Everyone is an expert in something and everyone has an opinion about the everyday happenings and important issues facing our country in the age of terrorism. Associated Content is a valuable resource for anyone wanting to learn more, and the best part (besides paying its writers) is that Associated Content will provide you with the opportunity to learn from people just like you, the average American, something traditional journalism seems to be lacking nowadays.
Will the day come when Associated Content becomes the most-read online news provider in place of traditional print publications or television news?
Published by K. Bamforth
I work full-time as a journalist in the Kansas City metropolitan area. View profile
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- I have often pondered about the future of the journalism profession as more and more people turn to the Internet for news, rather than traditional print publications.
- Coverage of important, newsworthy happenings in America exists on Associated Content just as regularly as other stories, like how-tos and celebrity coverage.
- Even the non-news content on Associated Content is valuable because it contains the viewpoints of average Americans.
20 Comments
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I'm here for the "fluff." :)
Lol, and where do you think they got their information? Someone actually has to do the research and put the information together. That is not you.
Well, not to burst your bubble, L. Shepard, but I didn't get my information from the news media, which gave Bush a total free fride until about two minutes ago. Believe me, I didn't get my information about Bush's lies from the mainstream news media. Anyone waiting to get any information from them had better bring a huge cup of coffee. If you've wanted to get to the core of Bush's lies before 2006 you HAD to turn to the internet, or shell out money for books not published by those very same companies that own the conglomerates.
Very nice article. I hope that AC is the future of journalism. It would be wonderful to be a part of that.
Good article. I agree that AC is a place where we can learn a lot from other writers and subjects that we would not have had the chance to know about otherwise. I have learned about many interesting things from reading the articles on AC.
I think that's a pretty big jump- the only reason you know what Bush is doing is from the mainstream media. A journalist goes and uncovers news, interviews the people involved, fact checks, finds other sources for a counterpoint, etc. Writing articles about your opinion of those stories hardly makes them more important than the stories themselves. Go to a White House press conference and inerview the president, then get some quotes from staffers to make a real story if you want to be a journalist. An op-ed piece riding on the coattails of those who do the real work is hardly the same thing. That doen't mean that these opinion pieces don't have merit. I think they do, and this is a good source of a wide variety of well-written ones- they are just not the same thing as journalism.
As a writer who has written in-depth criticism of the Bush administration over a year before Olbermann's special comment and over a year before ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC ever dared to openly criticize anything Bush ever did, I would posit the notion that AssociatedContent is far more important than the mainstream media. Unlike any of those networks (and especially Fox, of course) an internet surfer is likely to go straight from my liberal justification of why Bush is pure evil to a piece by somone like Greg Reeson who thoughtfully provides a counterpoint and then on to a piece by, well you know, that represents the same kind of fantasyland mental purview shared by Mr. Bush.
Digital Journal (one example) is more about citizen journalism from a "news" standpoint. But many people want depth and the OpED pieces are often very good, some better than in traditional media. To its benefit or fault, AC caters to most every conceivable topic. I think that is a good thing (mostly) and what people want. Though AC is unique, comparable information mediums who have had a head start on AC are doing extremely well and other sites are trying to simulate AC's model. Whatever you want to call AC I think (and hope) AC will continue to progress as an information resource and one untarnished by advertising. (just keyword density ;-)
I agree with you when it comes to first hand stories, or interviews... but the others are mostly re worded- or then how to articles etc. Still- very good writing- just don't know if it will replace "news".