A brave new online world of dueling icons
(miami.com) Even if the Internet carried nothing more than print, it would pack a revolutionary punch. It undermines two of the monopolies on which professional news media have long based their authority: exclusive access to sources and exclusive access to audiences, as Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism, recently reminded the Organization of News Ombudsmen in St. Petersburg. The Internet gives civilians both. Witness the growing constellation of blogs -- freelance information systems with news, feedback from communicants and links to authoritative sources. But that's still just the printed word. And as the recent flood of powerful images from the Middle East makes clear, words may assert, but it's pictures that compel. And it's here that the Internet is starting to have its greatest impact. → Full Story (reg. req)