We media

The Media Centre at the American Press Institute has published an excellent paper: We Media How audiences are shaping the future of news and information. By Shayne Bowman and Chris Willis of Hypergene.

This 66 page paper is an excellent presentation of where We Media (citizen journalism, citizen media, participatory journalism – call it what you will) is at, how mainstream media might react and the implications for all stakeholders. It is a must read paper.

While slanted more toward those in mainstream media than our small We Media project (Local News Daily), it is a welcome additional resource to this conversation. It brings legitimacy to the discussion of the changes being brought about in journalism as a result of huge and rapid technological change and the power the changes deliver to consumers.

Here’s part of the introduction by the respected Dan Gillmor, a leader in the we media movement:

This is all about decentralization. Traditionally centralized news-gathering and distribution is being augmented (and some cases will be replaced) by what’s happening at the edges of increasingly ubiquitous networks. People are combining powerful technological tools and innovative ideas, fundamentally altering the nature of journalism in this new century. There are new possibilities for everyone in the process: journalist, newsmaker and the active “consumer” of news who isn’t satisfied with today’s product — or who wants to make some news, too.

Be sure to read the whole report.