The New News

The death of the newspaper as we know it has long been predicted. While I get less and less of my news from the poorly printed, often wet, and frequently outdated lump that arrives beyond my reach under my car every morning, I'm a loyal subscriber.

I often think about what makes news. Why is it that I can read every word about some topics and remain largely in the dark about other topics? Why is it that when I travel to a new city I can't get enough of the city's local news, but when I leave my interest in the community wanes? Why is it that the news as dished out by the AP wire seems dry and formulaic while other less balanced outlets seem more creative and interesting?

I've concluded that News is less about the facts and more about the context. I wouldn't have thought that if I hadn't been paying close attention to my own consumption of the news. But it's certainly true. I read every word of a largely boring article this weekend because it was about someone I knew. While interested in the headlines, I ignored the details of the fighting in Gaza because I feel removed from that story.

A good newspaper is less about great writing or amazing investigative journalism and more about great editing. A great editor will bring me a selection of news that for any given topic is not too long, not too short and always interesting. Google News offers to feed me news on the topics I'm interested in but frankly I don't trust me to edit my own news. I want a professional editor to play a role in delivering my news.

Hold that thought while I shift gears and talk about Facebook. I've looked at and participated in many social networking sites and frankly found them rather mundane. Recently I was pressured to put more effort into Facebook beyond just setting up an account. After playing around with the site over the weekend I concluded that this is the real news of the future. The idea that I'm supposed to constantly update my status and publish my life to all my friends is a bit indulgent, but the idea that I can keep track of my 50 friends and know what everyone is up to seems much more interesting than Obama's stimulus plan for the economy. While boring to anyone who doesn't know my friends, in the right context it's all fascinating:

"Greg is shopping for roller blades"

"Greg caught is son in a lie and is dreaming up creative punishments"

"Jeff has eaten his last meal of 2008"

"Stacy is tired from her red eye flight"

"Keith has figured out how to get HD TV with an antenna"

"Greg is really sore from skiing"

And on it goes. While the Facebook may start to lose some of its fascination, the ability to publish and chronicle one's life seems like the ultimate news source for the decades ahead. We are all journalists.

January 5, 2009