bridging cultures, bridging tensions: global news production in the age of citizen journalism Global Webbing of Diverging Agendas ELTE, June 19-21, 2008 Lokman Tsui Annenberg School for Communication

focus: efforts to bridge cultures

global news what do we learn about the world? how do we learn about the world? what is the role of the internet ?

what do we learn about the world?

how do we learn about the world?

what is the role of the internet ?

state of foreign news problem of supply or demand? coverage  (iraq, 9-11 incidental peak) foreign bureaus  quantity  literacy? reliance on parachute and news wires  foreign correspondents  parachute quality  audience content producers

global news typology news agencies, news wires foreign bureaus foreign correspondents doing localization, contextualization, translation

global news typology - updated citizen media domestic news news agencies foreign bureaus foreign correspondents + citizen journalists (doing localization etc)

what makes this possible? peer production (Benkler): internet changes costs of distribution, coordination niche cultural products no longer unsustainable changes in economics of global news production?

peer production (Benkler): internet changes costs of distribution, coordination

niche cultural products no longer unsustainable

changes in economics of global news production?

political economy of global news news as public good high barriers to entry high operating costs market concentration free rider problem who bears the cost? (cost = time + money)

news as public good

high barriers to entry

high operating costs

market concentration

free rider problem

who bears the cost? (cost = time + money)

time and money Global Voices BBC, PBS New York Times, Reuters ‘ soft’ advocacy Indymedia Voice of America The Nation, Mother Jones ‘ hard’ advocacy civil society state market

global citizen media Indymedia strong advocacy, oppositional high motivation  Global Voices complementary, bridge low to high motivation

Indymedia

strong advocacy, oppositional

high motivation

 Global Voices

complementary, bridge

low to high motivation

global voices http://www.globalvoicesonline.org founded in 2004 by Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca Mackinnon editorial team of 33, number of volunteers over 100 two branches: rising voices, global voices advocacy funded by Berkman Center, Reuters, MacArthur, Hivos, Knight Foundation. who reads blogs? GV as a source for Reuters: africa.reuters.com voices without votes

http://www.globalvoicesonline.org

founded in 2004 by Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca Mackinnon

editorial team of 33, number of volunteers over 100

two branches: rising voices, global voices advocacy

funded by Berkman Center, Reuters, MacArthur, Hivos, Knight Foundation.

who reads blogs? GV as a source for Reuters:

africa.reuters.com

voices without votes

bridge blog the west and “the rest” citizen journalists and professional journalists  the public and mainstream media?

the west and “the rest”

citizen journalists and professional journalists

 the public and mainstream media?

global citizen journalism new understanding of global news production needed new entrants, lower barriers to entry civil society as site of production, not just consumption complementary, not just oppositional to mainstream

new understanding of global news production needed

new entrants, lower barriers to entry

civil society as site of production, not just consumption

complementary, not just oppositional to mainstream

open questions credibility sustainability (market vs. voluntary failure) what is its impact on: the institutional structure of global news intercultural understanding

credibility

sustainability (market vs. voluntary failure)

what is its impact on:

the institutional structure of global news

intercultural understanding

thank you Lokman Tsui [email_address] http://www.lokman.org

Lokman Tsui

[email_address]

http://www.lokman.org