Thursday
May292008
Journalism 2.0 is owned narrative.
Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 2:43PM
[col-sect][column]Here's the deal: it's no longer your story.
It never was, but we've been spending the last 50+ years pretending that it was. It's not.
You found the story, yes, but you are ONLY a vessel. It's about the person(read: people, place, problem, subject) you are talking about, and the person on the other side reading, seeing, hearing about the first person. It's not about you.
You want to be a better journalist, help your audience connect better with the subjects of your stories? Want to make that connection stronger?
Build a bridge and then get out of the way.
Want to get your readership to REALLY understand what's happening in Darfur? Have a live interview someone in an IDP camp on the chad boarder and then help your audience stay connected with your subject.
Can't be done? What about twitter? What about this guy? No, he's not based in Sudan, BUT he does know people who are. Cellphones work ALL OVER africa, forget all of the old world ideas about isolation.
[/column]
[column]Your audience want's more from your publication than just a story, they want a connection.
The main sell point for most of the reportage industry is "we learn, and find things out so you don't have to" But Google news does that REALLY well now. Why pay 5 bucks an issue for Time?
[ 5.30.08- More to the point, news should no longer see it self as being the gatekeeper to village wine cellar, but being that very cool little wine shop/bar that is perfectly willing to tell you where their favorite vineyards are and how to get to them. ]
Why not carrot the whole publication? If you want to KNOW these people, then you should check out my publication.
But then, the narrative is out of your hands, can you handle that?[/column][/col-sect]
It never was, but we've been spending the last 50+ years pretending that it was. It's not.
You found the story, yes, but you are ONLY a vessel. It's about the person(read: people, place, problem, subject) you are talking about, and the person on the other side reading, seeing, hearing about the first person. It's not about you.
You want to be a better journalist, help your audience connect better with the subjects of your stories? Want to make that connection stronger?
Build a bridge and then get out of the way.
Want to get your readership to REALLY understand what's happening in Darfur? Have a live interview someone in an IDP camp on the chad boarder and then help your audience stay connected with your subject.
Can't be done? What about twitter? What about this guy? No, he's not based in Sudan, BUT he does know people who are. Cellphones work ALL OVER africa, forget all of the old world ideas about isolation.
[/column]
[column]Your audience want's more from your publication than just a story, they want a connection.
The main sell point for most of the reportage industry is "we learn, and find things out so you don't have to" But Google news does that REALLY well now. Why pay 5 bucks an issue for Time?
[ 5.30.08- More to the point, news should no longer see it self as being the gatekeeper to village wine cellar, but being that very cool little wine shop/bar that is perfectly willing to tell you where their favorite vineyards are and how to get to them. ]
Why not carrot the whole publication? If you want to KNOW these people, then you should check out my publication.
But then, the narrative is out of your hands, can you handle that?[/column][/col-sect]
Reader Comments (1)
Good point, Jon. Let's break some stories. Looking forward to working with you more.