Friday, March 27, 2009

Can we distinguish quality from white noise?

Rory O'Connor asks over at the Huffington Post

With mainstream media brands in tatters, a tsunami of information inundating us online, and "quality journalism" in decline how can we be sure that the news we see and hear is really true?


His arguments centres around the question is the average citizen

interested in and capable of decoding that which is useful, credible, "quality journalism" -- and that which is not? And even if they are, will they take the time to do so?


He also questions the role of social networks

do they merely serve to confirm our prejudices? Do they offer just the "reassuring womb of an echo chamber,"


According though to Miriam Metzger she believes that people

are already using media tools as trust filters in a sophisticated way.


Social networks are a double edged sword according to Miriam

"Technology changes the problem, making it more urgent and giving us a greater burden to verify, but it also provides new tools to grapple with credibility questions. This means the technology is opening up more possibilities for solutions -- as well as simultaneously contributing to the problem.

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