Northern Voice 2009 – How Social Media is Changing Journalism (Hermida, LaPointe, Tippet & Shaw)
The participants in this panel were:
Alfred Hermida, UBC Graduate School of Journalism.
Kirk LaPointe, Vancouver Sun
Michael Tippet, NowPublic
Additional resources:
Alfred Hermida shared a BBC chart, a resource that I am linking at now here.
| Northern Voice 2009 – How Social Media is Changing Journalism | (02/21/2009) |
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2:17
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Raul: I am sitting right in front of Mike Tippet, Kirk Lapointe and Alfred Hermida. Gillian Shaw is moderating. |
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2:18
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Raul: ”Relationships-based media – how social media is changing journalism” by Alfred Hermida (UBC Graduate School of journalism). |
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2:21
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Raul: Gillian is presenting the speakers.
Alfred is going to be all academic. Looking at social media through a conceptual framework, a shift from traditional media as a “many to many”. We, the readers can criticize or follow through Twitter. Media has always been social (we’ve always been able to talk about the news). We’ve been able to discuss it, cut out clippings, there’s always a social element AFTER THE FACT. We have been able to be involved but only AFTER the editors have published the content. We haven’t been able to be involved in the process of journalism. Journalism is based on producing content for consumption. It’s not to produce content for you to mash up and create your own. Social media allows YOU (the audience) to be part of the content creation. |
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2:22
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Raul: Social media is creating a relationship-based journalism. The model (Deuze 2003) – where can we place social media (Deuze, 2003) – the web and its journalism. New Media and Society (5/2003).
Closed journalistic culture vs. open journalistic culture Concentration on editorial content vs. concentration on public connectivity. |
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2:23
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Raul: Traditional media has focused now on the tension between closed journalistic and open culture vs. public connectivity/editorial content. |
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2:23
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2:23
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Raul: We should just use social media (all media is social) – how do people consume media. |
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2:24
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Raul: Mix and match of technologies. It’s a much more mixed up world. Mixes physical and digital sources. We see a lot more of the sharing, more socializing media. |
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2:24
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Raul: In a sense, for journalists, they have NO choice but be part of social media. Closed journalistic practices with a focus on content is no longer the way forward. |
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2:25
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Raul: Now it’s Kirk LaPointe’s turn |
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2:25
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Raul: What do you say in about 6 minutes? A few things, to start – build some sympathy. |
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2:26
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Raul: We are in the industry of creating news. We translate our endeavours through a prism of a business model. How do we improve the metrics of an organization, economically. We tend to figure out the size of the garden and what yield will be there instead of smelling the roses. |
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2:27
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2:27
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Raul: That framework holds us back. Also, not understanding the blacktail doesn’t help us. We have seen closely guarded work. We contend with revealing what we are seeking very early on, and quite transparently. We are then sharing the results and we cede control of the work to let them cut, paste, harvest, digg, etc. |
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2:28
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Raul: The link economy that is emerging is finding us new distribution channels that are going to pay us back. The long tail is quite important. Our research shows that 75,000 copies. Our website has 9 million pages. Social media compels us into a different kind of thinking – small and beautiful models. |
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2:29
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Raul: Kirk is now describing how the aggregated map works in your favor because the aggregated network model strengthens the whole end result. Now, all in all, – defy odds to build collegiality. To the point he is supposed to discuss – how are they integrating social media into journalism. How are we integrating ourselves into social media (something very conventional into something cutting-edge) |
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2:30
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Raul: We are still learning, we don’t link enough, we don’t take advantage of the technology yet. Blogging is still one too many. We have about 30 or so people on Twitter. The Sun is doing very well there. |
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2:30
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Raul: What I like is that we are doing some wiki and opening some of our stuff into wikis, and share and collaborate (sharing our research and let people play around it last year). |
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2:31
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Raul: Our Public Sector Database had 9,7 million views. Purpose – point to the future because no one can say you’re wrong yet. We always have been able to check a tip from the public. Clearly, our role has moved from a gate-keeper to an authenticator. |
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2:32
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Raul: We are now being enabled (journalists) as the verificators, authenticators of the information. It’s left to us to let people know what has really happened. We are now curators – tour guides, not really. We are curators – enabling and assembling best pieces for an exhibit. We don’t think about stories right now. |
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2:34
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Raul: Delude yourself that you’ve won yourself friends.
We are developing an approach where we get around and learn about the people who will be sharing the information and data. Build a business model predicated on the fact that sharing all this will enable us to create more value. Television had to figure out that in some cases, people weren’t looking very good in just one camera. So it’s an evolutionary process. |
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2:35
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Raul: We are very much open to more people participating in the process of creating content. |
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2:36
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Raul: Gillian says that there’s room for everyone on the table. Now it’s Michael Tippet’s turn. Nowpublic is in the leading edge about crowdsourcing information. |
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2:37
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Raul: Mike’s talking now about talking about the future of news – we are talking about the future of truth. If you look back historically, there are a number of ways in which we have tried to determine the truth. |
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2:38
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2:38
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Raul: We have moved to an empirical world (scientific research). We are now seeing that the supply chain of truth has been re-engineered. NowPublic has been exactly around 4 years (launched here at #northernvoice). When they first started, they wanted to build the world’s largest news stations. |
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2:38
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Raul: Using that model, build your own sense of self and truth. There is a mythology of citizen journalism. |
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2:39
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Raul: The people who are live-tweeting or live-blogging aren’t your trained journalists. They are generally not motivated by journalistic intent – the motive is start a conversation and have a conversation. The control of the network is in the hands of people, it’s not controlled. The news gathering machine is not controlled anymore. |
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2:40
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Raul: 1970s – (circa) – the old supply chain – event – witnesses – some accounts of it – journalists stitch the story together and put it into a news source which is then broadcast back to the audience, having a clear (er) picture. |
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2:41
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Raul: Fast forward to roughly present day – the new supply chain – before the helicopter is launched, the event witnesses are uploading content into Flickr, Twitter, etc. All sorts of platforms. The story is made up in a collective mashup… this changes the structure of the story (no clear begin and end). |
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2:41
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Raul: We now have a global intelligence network where you can find out what’s happening in real time. As a story breaks in this new ecology, event occurs – witness – report – crowd – the event can change in real time. |
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2:42
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2:43
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Raul: As the results were coming in, the whole structure of how the story is being told
- Citizen journalists are for the most part, just citizens – their intentions aren’t journalistic and they are not trained. Their stuff is not actually journalism. It’s a different product |
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2:45
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Raul: There is a pre-supposition that journalists don’t have a bias. Can you talk a little about that
Kirk – I have never written a story about something I don’t feel very strongly about. |
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2:46
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Raul: We think that newspapers are going to have a richer context, more depth. There will be a LOT more commentary and an understanding that people have some kind of a frame in basic events. They take their own opinion on the events . |
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2:46
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Raul: Alfred – evidence-based reporting. As a journalist you can’t know everything (you have a limited time frame) – ask questions – am I missing something? |
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2:47
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Raul: In the old times we could know how to reach you – now there’s 8 million ways to reach you. How do you like to be pitched now? How do you like to receive media releases/news?
Kirk – with chequebooks (joke) |
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2:48
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[Comment From Guest] Live Qik videos #northernvoice http://qik.com/videos/public_search?commit=Search+Videos&query=%23northernvoice |
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2:48
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Raul: Please note that Ianiv Schweber of NowPublic / Blogaholics is Qik streaming, Thanks to Ianiv! |
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2:51
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2:51
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2:51
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Raul: My question – the ethics of journalism and social media
Clay Shirky – yu don’t trust the individual journalist – you’re trusting the brand – the value that that brand has – the fact that that person works for that brand – he/she is having a brand behind him/her (the code of ethics). As a blogger you live and die by your content – you don’t have a brand – they have no credibility because they do not have that brand and credibility. |
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2:52
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2:52
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Raul: Kirk –
The academic research – 1/2 news stories contains an error, hasn’t changed. It seems to me where I draw a line – where they are transparent and seem to have an accountability. I don’t want someone who is going to carry on invisible criticism. |
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2:53
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Raul: I want someone who will be willing to be accountable/answerable – that’s where the ethics come into blogging in a big way.
Mike People have different expectations about when they read content. You’ll make up your own mind about whether it comes from one or another. The stuff that is flawed or erroneous – the onus is on the reader to be ethical. The onus of ethics is NOT on the writer. |
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2:54
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[Comment From Guest] Clay Shirky is right, bloggers build trust with organic networks. |
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2:54
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Raul: RAUL’S POINT – I strongly and respectfully disagree with Alf’s point on being backed up by brands. |
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2:55
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Raul: Alfred Hermida again – You as a teacher/instructor have to be more involved and engaged. |
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2:55
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Raul: Mike – there is a big challenge to the Academy. |
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2:55
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2:56
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Raul: Facebook has basically removed the communication barriers. |
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2:56
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[Comment From Guest] The reader also has to be critical of all sources, be their own journalists. |
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2:56
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Raul: Pete Quily – commenting for The Vancouver Sun not enabling links. For some reason – you might want to fix it (good point Pete) |
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2:57
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Raul: Kirk – Sometimes journalists can be a bit chauvinistic – we have to be a lot more gracious, simply be out there and acknowledge where the material emanated and go about that and let people know. They are linking now to their competitors. |
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2:57
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[Comment From Guest] @brodie I agree with you about Google rank; also Technorati ranking, number of Twitter followers |
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2:58
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Raul: Mike
The future of news – this is how news will be created. The more we invite people the less they’ll ever want to come back LOL. |
Related posts:
- Liveblogging Northern Voice 2009 – I’m EXHAUSTED!
- Northern Voice 2009 – Social Media Mores for the Blogging Couple
- Northern Voice 2009 – Jenn, Rebecca, Nadia, Linda and Monica
- Northern Voice 2009 – Nora Young on Buried Hatchets and Better Tomorrows (Liveblog)
- Using Social Media to Raise Environmental Awareness














[...] going to share with you Vancouver blogger Raul Pacheco-Vega's live blogging of the session here. The panel was the subject of a live video feed and it was also videoed by Dale McGladdery. [...]
[...] going to share with you Vancouver blogger Raul Pacheco-Vega's live blogging of the session here. The panel was the subject of a live video feed and it was also videoed by Dale McGladdery. [...]