The news that Craigslist founder Craig Newmark is planning an online journalism project is yet another reason to believe that the internet holds the key to true democratization of information and opinion. The Guardian reported on remarks Newmark recently made at Oxford University business school:
When talk turned to the problems plaguing the U.S. news industry, Newmark let fly: “The big issue in the U.S. is that newspapers are afraid to talk truth to power,” the Guardian quoted him as saying. “The White House press corps don’t speak the truth to power — they are frightened to lose access they don’t have anyway. … The American public has lost a lot of trust in conventional newspaper mechanisms. Mechanisms are now being developed online to correct that.”
Newmark also said coverage of the Iraq war and the press’ involvement in the Valerie Plame case had damaged American journalism.
Few details are available:
As for his new online venture, Newmark offered few details, but implied that it would employ Web technology to allow readers to determine what the major news stories would be.
“We have seen a genuine wisdom-of-crowds effect at work at times on our Web site,” he said.
Writing on his blog, Newmark offered only more hints:
“I’m working with some folks on technologies that promise to help people find the most trusted versions of the more important stories… and this is personal, helping out another group not associated with craigslist. This kind of technology is intended to preserve the best of existing journalistic practices, and should help retain newsroom jobs.”
Is this going to be the diggination of real news?
And after he takes the classified business and the truth business away from the print media, what will be left?
Via Editor and Publisher.
Now where the heck is Dan Gillmor’s new citizen journalism project?
Update: Craig notes that he doesn’t intend to start his own venture, only help others with theirs, and notes that he didn’t in fact slam U.S. media:
I’m working with some folks on technologies that promise to help people find the most trusted versions of the more important stories… and this is personal, helping out another group not associated with craigslist. This kind of technology is intended to preserve the best of existing journalistic practices, and should help retain newsroom jobs.
Details in his comment to this post, and in Craig’s blog.