Who’s Afraid of Online Journalists? by Nalaka Gunawardene - SLPI 7 Sep 2011

Who’s Afraid of Online Journalists? Nalaka Gunawardene Columnist & Blogger www.nalakagunawardene.com Presentation to National Conference on Media Self-Regulation @Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) Colombo: 7 Sep 2011

I disagree with your topic!
THE INTERNET: A LICENSE TO SLANDER
Highly presumptuous!
Judgemental & Dismissive!
SLPI as an alliance of mainstream print media should be more respectful of other competing media platforms!
Online journalists could just as easily say:
MAINSTREAM MEDIA (MSM): A LICENSE TO BLUNDER???

I say so as…
Someone with 25 yrs of MSM (print, radio, TV) connections
One with weekly output in 2 broadsheet newspapers ( Ravaya, Daily News )
New media watcher & commentator since 1996 (commercial Internet started)
Blogger since early 2007
Tweeter since mid 2009
A ‘Digital Immigrant’
With “a foot in both graves”…!

I feel as if I’m on both sides of this divide!

Coverage Today…
Internet: what numbers?
Internet & media: what nexus?
What types of regulation/control online?
Is self regulation possible online?
Is it necessary & desirable?
Who should advocate SR methods and ways forward?

How MANY online in SL?
TRCSL data:
Sri Lanka, end 2010:
Mobile phone subscribers: 17.34 mil
Fixed phone subscribers: 3.58 mil
“ Internet & Email Subscribers”: 280,000
0.014 % of population
Wireless Intelligence :
Sri Lanka, end 2010:
1,971,018 mobile broadband users
213,000 fixed broadband users
Total: 2,184,018
10% of population
So who has got it right? What do we use?

Who IS publishing online?
In THEORY, at least:
Anybody can be a reporter, commentator, analyst
Anybody can be an editor or publisher: no gatekeeper!
Only tools needed: web connected PC/smartphone
No longer passive consumers of mainstream media (MSM)!

In practice: Online journalism…
Institutionalised:
MSM print/broadcast adding online outlet/s
Some MSM going entirely online
MSM+Online hybrids
Entirely online news and/or opinion websites that are not rooted in any MSM
Other variations
Individual:
Single bloggers
Group bloggers
Social media activists using Twitter, Facebook or other tools in public interest
Blog syndicators and aggregators
LOTS of private or bilateral exchanges

Who IS a journalist today?
Only those accredited by Dept of Info, govt of Sri Lanka? (leaves out some in MSM!)
All those engaged in publishing on public platforms, sharing info and/or opinions on matters of current, public interest?
Institutional affiliations matter less today
Look at output – and influence
All conversations don’t have to be OFFICIAL! (Thank goodness they aren’t!)

Some limits apply…
“ I fail to see how filming the cat makes you a citizen journalist.”

Online content’s influence…
Well beyond 10% population who access web direct
‘ Ripple effects’ through coverage in MSM + gossip!
Real world repercussions of controversial virtual content
Sinhala blogosphere’s rapid evolution (maybe Tamil too?)
Social Media explosion!

Social Media’s rise

How do you engage SM?

Where do we draw the line?
A practical suggestion for media activists:
Leave out strictly private exchanges in closed spaces (e.g. most of Facebook!)
Focus instead on:
Expressions on public platforms online
Outlets with sufficient ‘eyeballs’/visitors
Covering issues of public interest
Explore how & where more responsible, ethical conduct can be promoted in these online activities

MSM self-reg model: Press Complaints Commission of SL
Independent body set up by newspaper publishers, editors & media freedom activists (as a counter to state regulation)
Entertains complaints on editorial content
Seeks to resolve disputes through conciliation, mediation or arbitration (trying to avoid litigation)
Advocates Right of Reply, responsible editorial conduct by participating publishers
Source: http://www.pccsl.lk/about_overview.php

PCCSL participation (Sep 2011)
Most, but not all newspapers in SL
Not a single radio station/channel
Not a single TV station/network
No online media organisation
YOUR NEXT PRIORITY :
Get rest of MSM to sign up first!
THEN: Reflect whether PCCSL has vision, capacity & legitimacy to engage entirely online media covering news & current aff.!

Do MSM/SR models apply online?
“ Many people blog precisely because they feel that the press does not self-regulate effectively: in a sense they are competing with the PCC (UK)…It has a bad reputation – to stand any chance of attracting bloggers, it would have to give them a genuine voice and incorporate many of the ethical concerns that they have about journalism. I don’t see that happening…”
– Paul Bradshaw, May 2011
http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2011/05/21/faq-self-regulation-of-online-media/

But we DO need ethical framework!
“Just as journalism is too important to be left solely to full-time, salaried journalists, citizen journalism is too important to be left simply to irresponsible individuals with internet access who may have opinions (and spare time) without substance or clarity to make those opinions count.”
– Nalaka Gunawardene , comment at:
http://indi.ca/2009/06/bad-journalism-in-huffington-post/ [June 2009]

How 2 get there: Practical issues…
Online media authentication/accreditation: With whom? On what terms?
Who frames & adopts ethical framework?
Who monitors compliance?
What grievance mechanism, if any?
Who can adjudicate – and how?
Will such decisions be accepted by all/most practitioners?
If not, how much worse is the alternative?

Approaches of Internet Filtering http://opennet.net/about-filtering Source: Within same jurisdiction, legal demands to web host companies to remove content deemed offensive Take-down Search engine operators cooperate with govt to remove search listings, making it more difficult to find sites. Search result removals Block access to specific web pages, domains, or IP addresses: most frequently used where direct jurisdiction or control over websites is beyond the reach of authorities. Technical blocking

Induced self-censorship:
A common and effective strategy to limit exposure to Internet content by encouraging self-censorship both in browsing habits and in choosing content to post online.
May take place through the threat of legal action, the promotion of social norms, or informal methods of intimidation.
http://opennet.net/about-filtering
Approaches of Internet Filtering - 2

Can state or self-regulating body insist everyone to express online with their real/single ID?
Is that enforceable in practice?
Engendering trust vs. protecting sources
Arguments on both sides: debate still raging…

Identified OR Anonymous?
Infographic from Namesake.com

Ideal vs. Pragmatic?
Online Transparency
Online Anonymity
Infographic from Namesake.com

Anonymous…and opinionated!

Summing up…
Self-regulation for online, public content: nice in theory, very hard in practice!
Tread very carefully as web users don’t like rules; prefer anarchy
Innovation & enterprise needs chaos!
Work with & through trusted online content creators: don’t impose MSM mindset
Keep eyes & ears open for govt or corporate intrusions into our digital lives!

Never forget your e-shadow!

Summing up…
Govt/corporate attempts to regulate content MUST be resisted at all times
Self regulation MAY be considered for more ethical, civilised behaviour online
Online only publishers need to pay more attention to digital archiving, indexing, etc.
Discussions migrating to Facebook means closed conversations, no longer open, accessible or searchable!

That’s it, folks!
Email:
[email_address]
Blog:
nalakagunawardene.com
Twitter:
twitter.com/NalakaG
Thanks to : Rohan Samarajiva,
Sanjana Hattotuwa, Chanuka Wattegama

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Who’s Afraid of Online Journalists? by Nalaka Gunawardene - SLPI 7 Sep 2011

by Nalaka Gunawardene on Sep 07, 2011

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Who’s Afraid of Online Journalists? by Nalaka Gunawardene - SLPI 7 Sep 2011 — Presentation Transcript