Having written about “google bombing” and how our searches are potentially manipulated by others, I was reminded of a rather creative, and yet dark, flash presentation. It is presented as a “future-mentary” (my mashed word for a documentary set in the future.)
I recommend it as a possible clarion call for where this world may end up, when we leave behind rigor in journalism, and begin to allow opinions and attitudes drive our “news” rather than relying on facts and legitimate analysis.
Based on your earlier recommendation, I took time to check out the flash. Interesting, though it becomes tedious afdter a while, and ultimately, I’ve seen Disney films with more credibility.
Not everything mentioned in this dark “future-mentary” is wholly bad. You yourself, after all, maintain both a blog and podcast, correct?
There is a HUGE leap that is made in this projection of the future that is never really addressed. When they speak of Google News, it is never clearly mentioned that Google links back to the NEWS SOURCE as it presents the news…. it doesn’t replace it – it simply catalogs it and makes a world of news available to people worldwide. Google directs the user to the website of the news source, where real, live, breathing journalists are hard at work.
Levereged properly, one could paint an entirely different portrait of the future – one in which advertising revenue from online advertising creates a circumstance where news organizations no longer need to run ANY advertisements in their print versions, devoting more column inches every day to actual news, instaed of full-page displays of the latest White Sale.
I guess the future is in the Eye of the Beholder.