Tom Fudge : For people who work in journalism, today is an exciting and a frightening time. The Information Revolution, in other words, "the Internet," has changed everything. Most people agree it has changed things for the better. If there was ever a time when people could complain about not getting enough good information on, say, a presidential candidate, those times are over. Just go online and you can get anything from the information provided by conventional media, like KPBS or the Union-Tribune . You can also get blogs, government documents, etc.
But this new world is scary for people who work in the business, and it should be unsettling for news consumers as well. The switch to the medium of the Internet has changed so much, in terms of how news is provided and paid for, that all the old conventions are being left behind. For all the information on the Internet, how much of it is really valuable? How much of it hews to the standards of good journalism, and is the kind of information that helps you live your life, and participate in a democracy?
Guests
- Dean Nelson, director of the journalism program at Point Loma Nazarene University .
- Bradley Fikes, staff writer for the North County Times and blogger for The Festering Swamp .
