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Excellent Article

A couple of points. First, DTS-4000 and devices like them which allow digital recording and the conversion to text further blurs the distinction between amature and professional reporters.

There are some individuals that we are inclined to be interested in - our sons and daughters, folks that make us laugh, fellow professionals or hobiests, fellow travelers, folks that have been where we are going, mentors and educators. These reporters have news that is fit to link and might be considered "citizen" reporters. We also now have a mechanism for selling their story and video clips to outfits like CNN - the latest bridge collapse being a prime example. But what citizen reporters do not have is fact checkers.

I believe that that one item - fact checkers - coupled with a value that prevents reporters from spewing known false facts, defines the professional reporter and distinguishes them from the rest of us who - and rightly so - should be considered opinion makers like talk show hosts, where what is blogged should be checked because many of us (not I) play devils advocate.

So how about you professionals linking to your fact checkers web site. How about the fact checkers being like endorsers of the work in a manner similar to book publishing. In such publishing, the Press imparts legitimacy to the work. University presses, in general are presumed to be the best fact checkers. They do the checking by a process of peer review. Opinion Editorials are fine of course, but today news readers and watchers kind of have to assume everything is opinion. Fox did that to us. Microsoft did that to us.

Anyway a link to a press or other service responsible for fact checking would be like a good house keeping seal of approval. Reporters could even blog anonymously.

Frank L, Mighetto
citizen blogger

Posted by: mighetto   Posted on: 08/03/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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