Networks retain aggregator role in world of citizen journalism

Average citizens are participating more in the gathering of news, but there will always be a need for broadcasters to aggregate it, concluded a panel at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) conference examining the future of news media. CTV News president Robert Hurst gave the example of news outlets airing on-the-spot footage shot by members of the public. This happened, for example, during the London subway bombings when commuters used their cell phones to snap video that was later played by TV networks. Hurst noted as well that CNN has used citizen journalists. But he added that there is a vital role to be played by TV broadcasters – deciding and controlling what gets shown to the general public. There’s a trust in networks as news gatherers, he stated, while likening the amateur footage that is sometimes shown on TV to radio’s phoned-in news tips of the day. But at an earlier CAB session QuickPlay Media chief creative officer Raja Khanna cited many instances of user-controlled content. He noted that the web site OhmyNews in South Korea is now the second or third most popular news source in the country, and that South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun has given interviews first to it. The influence of OhmyNews, which mixes news with commentary, is widely credited with helping Roh win the popular vote in an election in December 2002. Khanna pointed out that people use their video phones to record news that is broadcast by OhmyNews. Another example is Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that contains definitions and entries contributed by the general public. The content can be edited by others from all around the world. It is overseen by administrators who can remove pages, or move discussions into chat rooms. It now has more entries than Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Khanna noted. But Hurst pointed out that for the most part these types of initiatives are distinct from network TV broadcasts. "I’m really pessimistic about this whole democratization . I think it’s very exciting that every person in this room could start their own television station in their basement. I think it’s all very interesting that there’s webcasts, podcasts and blogs," he said. "But the fact is that all of these blogs or sites are really aggregators of material that ABC, that CTV, that Global, etcetera gather. There are lots of editorial comments. Most blogs are nothing more than editorial comment about things that are going on. I am not aware of any critical mass of web groups or blogs that are actually gathering the news…Blogs are not interviewing the mayor, the board of education chair, the police chief. Blogs are not doing that." Global Television News senior VP of news and information Steve Wyatt said that it was about networks "branding and understanding that audiences are watching." For broadcasters to survive in the changing world of citizen journalism and webcasts, networks must have content that is clearly branded and that they own, he stated. But he added that networks also have to get to know their markets better and to better dialogue with viewers. Audiences can be expanded by networks exploiting new platforms, such as instant messaging news highlights and poadcasting. The key, according to Wyatt, is to put the network’s brand on each of these new forms of news transmission. There is also a place, he said, for the customization of news delivery and also for individuals to act as their own aggregators to an extent by storing information on their personal video recorders (PVRs), for example.

Networks retain aggregator role in world of citizen journalism

Broadcast | November 18, 2005

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