"On a complicated, fast-forward planet enveloped in information, journalists who thrive will be those who offer news consumers the same sense of trust that a skilled mountain guide provides to climbers after an avalanche. A sure trail cannot be guaranteed, but an honest effort can."
That's Andrew Revkin on what he calls the Daily Planet–the world as we see it through the media. Revkin, who writes the Dot Earth blog for The New York Times, has long provided us with one of the clearest and sharpest lenses to view that perceived planet.
Revkin recently paused to reflect on his work and others' in a talk in Tokyo at an environmental forum sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. You can find a transcript at Dot Earth, and Revkin promises that video is on its way.
The dominance of established news sources on which we could all depend (Walter Cronkite is Revkin's example) has long since disappeared, Revkin notes. It has been replaced by "collaborative networks in which insights flow in many directions." You might call that the wisdom of the crowd, but I think Revkin is referring to a smaller crowd–the bloggers, reporters, and networks that cover climate change, and the diffusion of insights among them. And I think he's right about the importance of members of that crowd and their interconnections.
He goes on to talk about Twitter and Facebook, and how they are transforming coverage of a variety of stories, not just climate. Revkin's perspective is valuable because it comes from ground level–he practices this stuff, rather than simply pontificating, as many self-appointed new-media analysts do.
He ends on an optimistic note. We can recreate journalism–we're already doing it–and we "can help sustain a thriving, human-populated planet for many, many generations to come." I hope he's right.
-Paul Raeburn
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