What do you think about the current state of global news?
Our society is becoming more globally interconnected each day. In our increasingly interdependent world, events taking place in distant countries can be of vital significance to Americans; in turn, the choices and actions we take here at home can reverberate around the globe. Yet, Americans seem to know less and less about the world around them, their many connections to it, and the complexities and interrelationships between major issues such as peace and security, energy, sustainability and the environment, economic development, health, and the arts and culture.
Experiments like Ethan Zuckerman's Global Voices is certainly interesting, as it exposes less-heard international narrative.
I think novel experimentation is in order, especially now that international news desk budgets have all but evaporated. Marketplace's we're-just-visiting correspondent model (special coverage in China, and now their middle east @work segment) shows promise. Hitting the US market in their international interest areas might also be a good transition strategy (travel writing, exports, global investment, economic impact) or at least mining the world for cool stuff would be a start (has anyone created an international digg.com?).
Regardless, I doubt the US audience is interested in much that is produced outside our borders. Al Jazeera English reaches a purported 100 Million households, but has practically zero carriage in the US.
The Poynter Institute's superb blog "e-Media Tidbits" discussed the subject of the cost of foreign correspondents: http://www...aid=138680.
The economics of journalism in the new media ecosystem are placing heretofore unseen constraints upon the more traditional approaches to reporting.
I would agree with the poster above; now is the time to explore new ways of practicing solid journalism. Collaborations with existing bloggers to instill the methods and mindset of classic correspondence might yield great results.
02/28/2008 2:00:28 PM
