Comments on: Taking questions from the crowd: The Daily Kos model of journalism http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/ A collaborative effort to figure out the future of journalism. A project of Harvard University. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:39:00 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joshua Benton http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-219 Joshua Benton Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:28:47 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=409#comment-219 Hi Edward -- I get your point, but I wouldn't want to fetishize distance from power any more than I'd want to fetishize access to power. There are plenty of stories that can't be told just through documents, and there are plenty of people in government who will return the phone call of a newspaper reporter who won't yet return the call of a blogger. I think the best solution is a mix of people talking to the powerful every day and those throwing stones from the outside; I wouldn't want to live with either. Hi Edward — I get your point, but I wouldn’t want to fetishize distance from power any more than I’d want to fetishize access to power. There are plenty of stories that can’t be told just through documents, and there are plenty of people in government who will return the phone call of a newspaper reporter who won’t yet return the call of a blogger. I think the best solution is a mix of people talking to the powerful every day and those throwing stones from the outside; I wouldn’t want to live with either.

]]> By: edward ericson http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-203 edward ericson Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:20:20 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=409#comment-203 Very interesting and useful. But I don't know anyone, reporter or otherwise, who thinks that "only professional journalists can get the kind of access to power (governments, corporations) that you need to do good work." It is my experience (20 years in the biz) that "access to power" is not only unneeded to do good work, but that the maintenance of that access actually hinders good work. The case of AIG and the financial meltdown generally provide an example. For 20 years those journalists with access to power reported about deregulation in financial markets deferentially, at best, while those of us without that access tried to sound the alarm. From NAFTA and electric power deregulation, to Gramm Leach Bliley and the derivatives revolution, to the housing bubble and now in its aftermath, the first (and sometimes only) accurate stories were written by outsiders. Access to a corporate flak is no big trick. The questions that AIG should have been asked were buried in its 10-Qs and other reports of years ago. Very interesting and useful. But I don’t know anyone, reporter or otherwise, who thinks that “only professional journalists can get the kind of access to power (governments, corporations) that you need to do good work.”

It is my experience (20 years in the biz) that “access to power” is not only unneeded to do good work, but that the maintenance of that access actually hinders good work.

The case of AIG and the financial meltdown generally provide an example. For 20 years those journalists with access to power reported about deregulation in financial markets deferentially, at best, while those of us without that access tried to sound the alarm. From NAFTA and electric power deregulation, to Gramm Leach Bliley and the derivatives revolution, to the housing bubble and now in its aftermath, the first (and sometimes only) accurate stories were written by outsiders.

Access to a corporate flak is no big trick. The questions that AIG should have been asked were buried in its 10-Qs and other reports of years ago.

]]> By: Greg Dworkin http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Greg Dworkin Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:03:07 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=409#comment-163 Thanks, Josh. It's quite intriguing, as you point out, as to who decides to respond in that manner ;-) Thanks, Josh. It’s quite intriguing, as you point out, as to who decides to respond in that manner ;-)

]]> By: Joshua Benton http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Joshua Benton Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:36:24 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=409#comment-160 Thanks for the comment, Greg. To my knowledge, the communal online interview format dates back to <a href="http://interviews.slashdot.org/" rel="nofollow">the Slashdot interview</a>, which goes back years. Thanks for the comment, Greg. To my knowledge, the communal online interview format dates back to the Slashdot interview, which goes back years.

]]> By: Greg Dworkin http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-158 Greg Dworkin Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:14:15 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=409#comment-158 Thanks for the write-up! In an unrelated topic, the blogs have engaged others in this style of Q&A. William Raub, the HHS science advisor, was "interviewed" in this manner by Flu Wiki back in January/Feb: http://www.newfluwiki2.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2115 http://www.newfluwiki2.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2179 and mentioned on Daily Kos http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/19/12383/3494 [I happen to also post at Daily Kos as a contributing editor, but Susan's post was independently done] Thanks for the write-up!

In an unrelated topic, the blogs have engaged others in this style of Q&A.

William Raub, the HHS science advisor, was “interviewed” in this manner by Flu Wiki back in January/Feb:

http://www.newfluwiki2.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2115

http://www.newfluwiki2.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2179

and mentioned on Daily Kos

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/2/19/12383/3494

[I happen to also post at Daily Kos as a contributing editor, but Susan's post was independently done]

]]> By: Why ProPublica should open up » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-149 Why ProPublica should open up » Nieman Journalism Lab » Pushing to the Future of Journalism Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:20:11 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=409#comment-149 [...] of organizations gaining credibility through conversation: On Monday, the investigative nonprofit ProPublica wrote a story on how Goldman Sachs apparently [...] [...] of organizations gaining credibility through conversation: On Monday, the investigative nonprofit ProPublica wrote a story on how Goldman Sachs apparently [...]

]]> By: Freaky kid tipped to be the first YouTube/Hollywood crossover hit | socialmediainfluence.com http://www.niemanlab.org/2008/11/taking-questions-from-the-crowd-the-daily-kos-model-of-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-148 Freaky kid tipped to be the first YouTube/Hollywood crossover hit | socialmediainfluence.com Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:05:23 +0000 http://www.niemanlab.org/?p=409#comment-148 [...] future of journalism is in the crowd Joshua Benton at Nieman Labs has corralled a fascinating account of the future of journalism evolving beneath our noses. Reporting on The Daily Kos’ decision [...] [...] future of journalism is in the crowd Joshua Benton at Nieman Labs has corralled a fascinating account of the future of journalism evolving beneath our noses. Reporting on The Daily Kos’ decision [...]

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