Square Pegs: The "people formerly known as the audience" aren't media's property to exploit | www.pegasusnews.com

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The “people formerly known as the audience” aren’t media’s property to exploit

Posted By Mike Orren in Square Pegs on April 18, 2007

The sad events at Virginia Tech also mark two important turning points for media:

1. The primary video coverage came from a student's cell phone camera. CNN paid him for an "exclusive," but it is still all over YouTube.

2. The traditional media has, by now, learned that "citizen journalism" is important to covering stories big and small. But they haven't learned that if you don't stop to converse and listen, inclusiveness can smell a lot like exploitation. And that's likely to get you a "bugger off" response to your coverage efforts.

We believe in citizen journalism, and user-generated content and depend on it heavily. But, I hope we always remember that we're making use of these generously donated tools to serve our community -- and not the other way around.

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Anonymous

J_Mortimer, says:

I guess I gotta disagree. If you are looking for this event to be a good example of the mainstream press looking at citizen journalism you'd be mistaken. You had a parade of person after person who only heard shots or didnt really see anything. They would say "Well I heard..." and then repeat the latest unfounded rumor. They weren't adding anything factual. What was known most of the day could be summed up in 10 minutes; 15 tops.

I think this editorial from Newsweek said it best, "If you shut off your television after five minutes, you were just as informed as if you’d stuck with it for another two hours."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18161048/...

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2 years, 11 months ago
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DC, says:

Take socio-economic disparity, immigration, violence and wrap it up a la MSNBCCNNNANCYGRACE and welcome in...

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2 years, 11 months ago
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Michael Davis, says:

I'm against giving this murderer any type of airtime. Doesn't it leave us open for copycats? Haven't the people of that area been hurt enough simply by the events?

For the record, I turned the stations as soon as I saw the story running.

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2 years, 11 months ago
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Mike Orren, says:

J_Mort:

I agree with you on the MSM's coverage. I was talking more about the real people touched communicating about their loss and experience and adamantly NOT wanting to be "picked up" by the media:

http://emac.utdallas.edu/?p=248