By Michael Novinson

I have a confession to make: I do not wake up to The New York Times, the Washington Post, or CNN. Whenever I want the latest news, I instead turn to andrewsullivan.com, a political and cultural forum, and read his latest blog posts. The fact that I, an aspiring journalist, have abandoned the Old Gray Lady for her bastard stepchild – Internet journalism – speaks to the power of new media to provide more insightful commentary on a broader swath of topics than its traditional counterparts.

With thousands of journalists laid off and hundreds of newspapers closed, it seems unconventional to argue the journalism is currently experiencing a golden age. But that’s only because too many people measure the quality of journalism using outdating parameters.

In generations past, the “good ol’ boys” network of journalists, politicians, and societal shakers hung out at dinner parties and worked to maintain their exclusive club and preserve the societal status quo. News that would embarrass or harm the reputation of power brokers would too often be withheld so that journalists wouldn’t lose access or that sacred dinner party invitation.
For this reason, journalists kept information such as John F. Kennedy’s affairs and Franklin Roosevelt’s deteriorating physical condition secret. Whenever journalists deliberately keep their audience ignorant, corruption and abuse of power seize the day and the public interest suffers.  

These days are no more. The proliferation of citizen and online journalism has rendered the era of self-imposed filters obsolete.
Consider that the Huffington Post, a liberal news website, broke the news of Barack Obama saying that small-town Pennsylvanians “cling to guns and religion,” one of the biggest stories in the 2008 election cycle. A year later, Politico, a multimedia political news venture, embarrassed the Washington Post by revealing that its publisher offered lobbyists off-the-record access to reporters for a massive fee.

The later tale reveals another feature of the new media – it holds the traditional media accountable. It critiques inaccuracies in reporting, offers frequent accusations of bias, and occasionally reveals blatant greed and corruption.

The traditional media has in turn been forced to innovate in how it covers the news, often imitating the techniques of online journalists. This results in citizens having more opportunities to provide and shape their own news.

The “Where Were You When the Cops Raided Lloyd” feature in this issue of The Bi-College News was inspired by Andrew Sullivan’s use of reader stories and commentary in covering elections. We hope you enjoy this blend of old and new media — journalists aren’t the only possessors of knowledge and therefore shouldn’t serve as its gatekeepers.

Novinson, a senior political science major, can be reached at mnovinso@haverford.edu.         

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