A comment to editors of the Spokesman-Review and the facilitator working on the new code of ethics.

Dear Mr. Floyd, Ms. Savalli and Dr. Jackson,

As I said at the recent meeting the $64 question is whether the S-R will abide by its Code of Ethics once affirmed.  The onus is upon the S-R to demonstrate to its readers that it will follow the code and that this is not just some PR exercise.  The readers are not dumb as you think.  The readers will ultimately decide the credibility of the S-R as a trusted/reliable  source of news, commentary, and thought of the day.

The traditional media no longer holds the preeminent position of the  du jour source of the news.  See the article below. We are experiencing a major communication reformation as great or greater than that of Martin Luther’s time (Hugh Hewitt’s Blog and Glenn Reynolds’ An Army of Davids).  The new media does not require large capital investments e.g, printing presses and transmission networks of the traditional or mainstream media.  The new medium of expression is essentially free for all to participate.  The currency of the new media is the validity, reliability, and predictability of the information provided in one’s own daily life.  The sources that best meet those needs will attract readers and grow  Those sources which lack credibility and/or don’t correct misinformation quickly will die.

As I said this new virtual medium functions as the “new town square.”  As so presciently stated in this article from the new media:

. . . we lived in Thomas Jefferson’s America, noted for its unlimited and uninhibited free expression, lively debates in which ideas were attacked and defended, and a free people who thought for themselves rather than having “the truth” as seen by elites imposed upon them.

IMHO we are witnessing the effect of this fundamental shift with the low ratings this past weekend of the Oscars.  The people are no longer enamoured  or in awe of the elitist aristocracy.  As I concluded at the meeting, continue to censor civil thoughts and expression as you choose but the business paradigm is rapidly changing – adapt or you will die.

Det. Ron Wright (Retired)
Friends of Mark Fuhrman Blog

*****
HT PJM – Link to full article

[BOLDED TEXT – My Emphasis]

The Power of New Media on the Presidency

February 27, 2008 12:01 AM

From clicks to votes.

Old Media only looks alive and influential, argues Steve Boriss. In fact, New Media has played a decisive role in this presidential election.

[…]

Ironically, the progress made by New Media as a political force can be measured in terms of how far back in time it has taken us. There have been better times in history for citizens seeking information on political candidates than the last few decades, when we have endured a monolithic, center-left, establishment-loving mainstream media. Once, America was served by an abundance of news outlets providing different opinions to different groups of the like-minded. That’s what French historian Alexis de Tocqueville saw in the early 1800’s when he marveled at how our “Newspapers make associations, and associations make newspapers.” Before that, we lived in Thomas Jefferson’s America, noted for its unlimited and uninhibited free expression, lively debates in which ideas were attacked and defended, and a free people who thought for themselves rather than having “the truth” as seen by elites imposed upon them. 



[…]

A New Two-Party System — But the most striking impact of New Media in this cycle has been the emergence of a new two-party system. It will no longer just be Democrats vs. Republicans, but also the Political Class vs. the People. The Political Class includes Old Media, powerful incumbents on both sides of the aisle, political operatives, lobbyists, and all others who suck-off the teat of the federal government. The People are the New Media-fueled citizens who are now listening to that multitude of voices competing in a freewheeling marketplace of ideas. What is shocking is that in this cycle, the Political Class actually lost.

[…]

But, all is not lost for those who fear our fragmented future of ideologies and identities — those who prefer unity and an occasional reach-across-the-aisle. New Media may break us into pieces, but it will also unite all of us, from far-left to far-right, against a common enemy — the Political Class. So, New Media will not just take us back to the old days before Old Media. It is also a new revolution that will take us back to the old, but timeless, ideas of America’s oldest revolution.





Steve Boriss blogs at The Future of News. He works for Washington University in St. Louis, where he is Associate Director of the Center for the Application of Information Technology (CAIT) and teaches a class called “The Future of News.”