Why on-line journalism matters

One response is for the publication to be recognized by an accepted authority. On-Line Opinion, for instance, has received the recognition of being archived at the Australian National Library. Being thus accredited as a publication of "lasting cultural value" and "national significance" by an institution like the National Library is just the sort of recognition on-line journalism sites need. Even blogs can aspire to some sort of recognition – MIT’s Media Lab recently launched Blogdex which tracks and lists blogs.

Another form of recognition is popularity. If a website attracts enough interest it inevitably gives that website credibility. This principle is the basis behind the various web lists where sites are rated according to hits. There is an obvious economic relevance to this since the practice of financing websites through advertising is well established on the net. Anyone who can attract a lot of hits has clear economic value and will likely garner the attention of various investors who want to exploit that ability.

The big media players are aware of the challenge posed by the 'net. They have their own plans to colonise it, exploiting their existing news gathering resources and brand names. They will also use their real political power to try to structure the ongoing development of the 'net to suit their own purposes.

But while they may be able to maintain a substantial presence on the 'net, their past strength in being able to control access to news is now their weakness. On the 'net we can immediately access a variety of sources, and people will become increasingly sophisticated users as they come to see who provides the most useful information and the most insightful commentary.

Personally, I don’t think the overpaid media hacks who dominate Australian TV, radio and press have a hope if the were to punters enjoy genuine choice in news provision and analysis. Their simplistic notions will just not stand up as the public are given enough information and argument to see different sides. In particular, there is already evidence that the young and well educated increasingly turn to new sources of news and commentary.

Of course it could all come unstuck – political power, financial power or a combination of both could see the current big players come to dominate the 'net just as they have broadcast media. But the trends in the underlying technology and the growing concern about major problems facing Australia and the world will tend to promote new diversified forms of news and analysis.

In some ways the rise of numerous, widely varied on-line journalism sites reflects the past when the mass media was much more varied in both form and content. This was before the days when mass broadcasting led to the rise of the media giants. Diversity in news and opinion is undoubtedly a very good thing in itself. Moreover, it is perhaps our last best hope for a revitalised global society in which information flows are unfettered, and diversity and democracy are strong.