Taking the Reporter out of Reporting

I was watching the news this morning, and I have to go ahead and say I was little bit distracted by the person telling me what was going on. It was seven in the morning and all I wanted to know was if anything interesting was happening in the world while I ate my cereal...that was all. But I have to tell you I don't remember, as I was entirely distracted by the seafoam blue power suit the woman with the toothy grin was wearing while she tried to tell me what I wanted to know. My question is: If she wants me to listen to her why is her suit shouting at me so I can't hear?

"Edit yourselves. Think of your audience," that is what Suzanne Levinson, the Director of Site Operations, at the Miami Herald had to say.

What a novel idea. What a truly interesting and refreshing perspective. Think of your audience? But what about The Pulitzer? And the byline? And the front page?

WHAT ABOUT THE RECOGNITION???

"Online, we don't want to listen to someone's talking head," Levinson later commented.

And here we have it ladies and gentlemen, the answer to the shocking powersuit, toothy grin, and enormously inappropriate hairstyle. Online.

Imagine a way for people to get their information quickly and without the interuption of a journalist's ego? Imagine! A constantly changing, insistiantly updating form of communication that allows a reader to get to the information they need or want, as opposed to the information they are going to get whether they like it or not. A place where people can read about, hear about, and see about what's going on in the world at their leisure. They want to read? Let the people read! They want to listen to audio? Play away! Watch a short clip? There you have it, go ahead and watch! A slide show, you say? We'll even let you control it!

And the greatest part of all, an immediate opportunity to interact! Write on a message board, send an email to the writer, respond to another viewer's thoughts or comments. Levinson commented on the "amazing outpouring of legitimate conversation," that becomes available when people, not just journalists, get together online and respond to one another's thoughts and ideas. People start thinking as opposed to just listening, its amazing!!!

No more angry loud blue suits. No more insistent bylines and enlarged egos. Just the information the people need, available in the form they want it.

I've got to say, this online thing sounds as if it's worth the effort it will take to make the transition.

Oh and about the recognition? What about the recognition?