The ultimate use of the colon: "SuperMedia: Saving Journalism so It Can Save the World"

To Begin
It brought everyone around me great entertainment when they asked what I was reading and I showed them the title of Beckett's book. It's hard to ignore the awesome hilarity of the book's title-something I'm hoping is purposeful-but the instant one begins to read the book itself, it is even more obvious that this is a topic to be taken seriously.

In the introduction, Beckett introduces why it is important that we as journalists save journalism so that it can continue doing its job informing the public. He also introduces the idea of Networked Journalism and the "social, political, cultural, and commercial" problems, consequences, and advantages that come along with it.


Chapter 1
The first chapter discusses a lot of the same things we have discussed thus far in class. It relates the problems with journalism today (changing of the audience, economic crisis, etc.) and the dangers journalism faces because of these problems.

There is a lot wrong with journalism right now. I think we get that. However, as he presents all of these issues, he also highlights the positive elements to all of these issues-or at the very least the positive take on how they might solved. My favorite of these is when he is discussing the relationship between new and old media and how they are "intimately linked" and that this link is "something that needs to be accelerated, not resisted."

I've mentioned before that I am a person who likes to find the middle ground in everything. The idea of taking both old and new media and melding them together to create the new face of journalism is, to me, not only the best solution, but is ingenious. I agree with Beckett that to best serve journalism this is something that should be put on maximum speed and traditional journalists should acknowledge the fact that their profession is changing and that, instead of resisting, it would be better to embrace it.

Here is an article that discusses the merger of new and old media:

• Media new and old merge at CBS

And here is a blog devoted to sharing the in and outs of new media

• Old Media, New tricks

Chapter 2
This chapter is all about Networked Journalism. Beckett talks about how networked journalism has come about and offers up a definition and an example of what it looks like and how it works. He then discusses the business of networked journalism, how it can serve as a public service, and, most importantly I feel, how it can potentially save journalism.

One idea on how to help save the business of journalism:




Adrienne's (re)View:
I really enjoyed reading something from Adrienne herself and found the review thoughtful and helpful. I especially admire her ability to bring in arguments or other points of view without taking away from the book.


Questions:

1. Can someone explain this sentence to me: "Is the world of cyber-journalism going to be about citizen journalism or amateur pornography?" What does pornography have to do with journalism? Or is that the point? That must be the point...
2. Do you think journalism is savable? And if so, do you believe in the power of journalism to save the world?
3. How can we as journalists, aspiring or otherwise, do our part in saving journalism? What does this entail?