Web 2.0 technologies have irrevocably changed the volume and speed of news delivered and consumed on a daily basis.  There has been a shift of influence from professional journalism to social media as many news consumers now rely on a significant mix of traditional and online sources.  In a recent CBC Radio show, Ira Basen explores the changing landscape of news delivery from news 1.0 to news 2.0, and asks whether the world is ready to part ways with traditional news media.

Accessible tools, dangers therein

Basen points out that, in a very short time, journalists have lost their monopoly — the creation and distribution of news has shifted from journalists alone to “just about everyone.”  He also mentions that, although the news has become much more democratic through the empowerment of “citizen journalists,” freedom does have its potential pitfalls.

• “Democratization of media” has minimized the lag time between when an event occurs and when the story breaks, and credibility can come into question depending on the source.
• Accessible publishing tools mean that there is an inherent loss of an “independent, professional journalistic filter.”
• “Citizen journalists”: Can they help make informed choices?

Basen assembles a star-studded social media cast, including Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired; Clay Shirky of the New York University Interactive Telecommunications Program; Andrew Keen, author of Cult of the Amateur; Paul Sullivan, journalist and owner of Sullivan Media Consulting; and Paul Gillin, author of The New Influencers.

To read more or to download the CBC Radio podcast, visit News 2.0: The Future of News in an Age of Social Media.