Monday, August 22, 2005
I'm sorta gonna tell you about this
I've been dancin' around the edges of this and so now I'm gonna pull a Josh Marshall by not telling you what I'm telling you about. I've kinda sideways initiated a hyper-local citizen journalism project. Not the wholly own site that I was aiming at but the potential hijacking of a grant funded site not really intended for this purpose. It has become my lab. For sure I'm having doubts about the efficacy of my unorthodox slant on these matters but I'm also seeing some of my hunches play out. I've been watching this stuff but you can't really call me an early adapter by any means. I've rejected a great deal of what has been said on this very current meme simply because it seemed like fickled hype and self-promoting fluff.
Don't get me wrong; I've got plenty of issues with MSM and I know these new digital media will rock their world. But just as with Holovaty and the Lawrence sites, it can also turn out to be the same ol' thing in new duds. I've also had some of the old beliefs about what made this the greatest job in the world reaffirmed. The things that made the job important and special, you still gotta really want 'em.
I'm not going to attempt any sort of catalog of the cultural precedents on the subject of the truth seeker. We should all know that whether you're after the absolute or just a piece of the elephant, it is all in your vision.
It is a striking irony that our society has granted each of us a better chance than most to determine our collective destiny and the majority choose not to participate. Voting is optional and most of us opt out. Most of us are uncertain about the truths that should guide us thus in a way it struck me as kinda natural with a good outcome. Who would want to live with a bunch of politicians that wanted their hands on the wheel? Of course that then leaves us open to those that would steal that self-determination empowered by knowledge.
I'm not giving up on this. I feel that I'm fortunate enough to be in a great spot for doing it. Somewhere here there's a joke about if I can't do it in this territory, I couldn't make it as a pimp at a journalists' convention. There is a commercial center, a small college and some gentrification of the urban landscape all occurring within a few blocks. And there is a mayoral race this year. If I ever want for reasons to continue, I can always look to it as a process of education and liberation.
There's been some noteworthy indicators of the course correction I'm gonna have to make. I'll begin to act more like a publisher in promoting and inducing participation. I've set up quite a few tools and I guess I should use them. ¶ 8/22/2005 07:42:00 PM
Don't get me wrong; I've got plenty of issues with MSM and I know these new digital media will rock their world. But just as with Holovaty and the Lawrence sites, it can also turn out to be the same ol' thing in new duds. I've also had some of the old beliefs about what made this the greatest job in the world reaffirmed. The things that made the job important and special, you still gotta really want 'em.
I'm not going to attempt any sort of catalog of the cultural precedents on the subject of the truth seeker. We should all know that whether you're after the absolute or just a piece of the elephant, it is all in your vision.
It is a striking irony that our society has granted each of us a better chance than most to determine our collective destiny and the majority choose not to participate. Voting is optional and most of us opt out. Most of us are uncertain about the truths that should guide us thus in a way it struck me as kinda natural with a good outcome. Who would want to live with a bunch of politicians that wanted their hands on the wheel? Of course that then leaves us open to those that would steal that self-determination empowered by knowledge.
I'm not giving up on this. I feel that I'm fortunate enough to be in a great spot for doing it. Somewhere here there's a joke about if I can't do it in this territory, I couldn't make it as a pimp at a journalists' convention. There is a commercial center, a small college and some gentrification of the urban landscape all occurring within a few blocks. And there is a mayoral race this year. If I ever want for reasons to continue, I can always look to it as a process of education and liberation.
There's been some noteworthy indicators of the course correction I'm gonna have to make. I'll begin to act more like a publisher in promoting and inducing participation. I've set up quite a few tools and I guess I should use them. ¶ 8/22/2005 07:42:00 PM
