It may seem counterintuitive, but Univ. of Missouri journalism professor emeritus Charles Warner recently contended that depleted creativity is the root cause of many of today's news business woes. See his remarks to a recent conference at that school: "Solving the Problem of Journalism Creativity: May the Force be with You"
I think he has a point. Here's a brief excerpt...
Warner said, in part:
"...The content of the media is developed, produced, and interpreted by creative people who typically have a huge need for attention, love, and self-expression. ...[In the Star Wars film series], I think 'The Force' is [director George] Lucas’s metaphor for creativity. If you substitute 'creativity' for 'The Force' ...you’ll see that creativity fits perfectly, which makes sense because Lucas was implying that the 'Evil Empire' -- the big movie studios and big corporations -- killed creativity.
"...There are two other trends that will affect the news business -- notice I didn’t say journalism, but the news business, emphasis on business. Those are publishing and sharing. Everyone in the world today can be a publisher -- can publish whatever they want on the web. In five years, as content proliferates and ordinary people participate in creating and publishing content, including news content, the era of the citizen journalist will arrive. Citizen, or grassroots, journalism has arrived in the form of Oh My News in South Korea where 90 percent of the homes have access to the web via very high-speed broadband connections... It has arrived in Columbia via the innovative My Missourian. I urge all of you to [visit that site] and look at grassroots journalism in action.
"What I’m urging you to do is to use 'The Force' -- your own innate creativity -- to find new ways to define and practice journalism. So, get involved now. Start contributing in creative ways: start blogging and start podcasting via radio stations such as KYOU in San Francisco, which just announced an all-podcasting format, or via Radio Open Source.
"When people publish, they want to share what they publish with friends and others in their interest and affinity groups. Thus, the next important software innovation will be something that allows Web users to share their content easily, simply, and quickly."
That kind of talk gets my gears going. I realize that right now, those news organizations which are supporting citJ with an eye toward getting free content and increasing profits might be missing the point. It's possible that, with their fresh eyes, citizen journalists might discover creative approaches to the news -- more effective, compelling ways of finding and sharing the news.
In this respect, maybe it makes more sense for news orgs to view citJ projects as media research and development, rather than to conceptually hobble it as "free content we can wrap more paid ads around." After all, R&D is the key to continued viability for any organization or industry.
SAVVY NEWS ORGS MIGHT VIEW CITJ THIS WAY:
CitJ is happening, like it or not. It may shift forms and names, but it's not likely to stop. It is indeed helpful when news orgs choose to support citJ with infrastructure and training. However, citizen journalists do not, strictly speaking need news organizations for anything.
The internet, mobile communication technology, print-on-demand, podcasting to cell phones, satellite radio, and other developments allow citizen journalists to create their own independent media infrastructure. They'll eventually get where they're going, with or without the support of established media.
...I know, it's not fun realizing how vulnerable and expendable you are, especially when you're used to being on top. Still, it's smarter to face reality.
News orgs that do manage to forge complementary, mutually beneficial, R&D-style relationships with citizen journalists may well increase their chances of surviving and thriving. Those that ignore, dismiss, or denigrate citJ may, as Adam Glenn said last night, risk "being nibbled to death by the ducks."
Duck food for thought.
(Thanks to Gary Goldhammer for recommending Warner's speech. Also, not surprisingly, Warner ruffled some feathers with his challenges to journalistic orthodoxy. Go get 'em, Charles!)
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