We create the stories of the connected society

The future of the world’s news and knowledge system is on full display in and around the stories from the Copenhagen Climate Summit.

We couldn’t get to Hyderabad for this year’s group hug of the world’s newspaper publishers, but it sounds like the old boys are getting feisty in their dotage. Forced once to postpone because of bad economics and waning interest, the reconvened World Newspaper Congress, organized by the merged World Association of Newspapers and IFRA, launched [...]

Fifty-six million stories. Where’s the one about transparent government?

Dear Mr. Murdoch: We’re so fortunate that we can entrust you with the future of the news business in the U.S. Such a shrewd business leader, too. Can you help a confused citizen understand your plan to save the news? 1. You’re going to charge people to read a story online that they won’t read, [...]

This is a true testimony to the magic of a system that allows for open communication and collaborative problem solving around public concerns. You can really see how media, industry, government and private citizens can work together to improve their communities:

Stories float, diffuse, wash over us.

I don’t recall where I was when Buddy Holly died. But I’ll recall where I was when Michael Jackson died. I was on Twitter. – One Twitterer by the name of toomarvelous I will remember where I was when I heard the news about Michael Jackson because it came for me in an unexpected place [...]

Worth a read at Forbes.com: Knight Foundation Head Alberto Ibargüen is bankrolling dozens of experiments to save the news business. Can he rescue newspapers? You may recall Knight was one of the winners of our We Media Game Changer Awards earlier this year, for reasons cited by Forbes: the foundation has pledged to invest $100 [...]

We haven’t recorded a podcast in a while — life gets in the way, you know — but we are back on track, effective immediately. WeMedia conducts regular regular podcasts that feature in-depth interviews with prominent media, technology, and social change figures, as well as distinguished experts on current affairs and news. Our goal is [...]

We new that tweeting was hot when we saw the usage in at the conference in Miami, but did not see the relevance to SeeClickFix at the time.  Fred Wilson from AVC.com has shown us the light: On May 5th Fred Wilson Posted an article on his blog avc.com which suggested that it would be [...]

Earlier this year, our annual We Media poll with Zogby Interactive showed deep dissatisfaction with newspapers and the leadership of news media. Now, two additional reports show how deep the dissatisfaction runs. On a one to 100 scale, newspapers scored a 63 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index quarterly survey. That put them behind the [...]

Each day brings another story that publishers are lurching to the business model that will save newspapers: charging for online content. Yet, each day brings news of additional buyouts and layoffs in newsrooms. Sometime soon, the publishers are going to figure out the next problem: they neither have enough good content that’s worth selling nor [...]

There’s a media and technology feeding frenzy in Washington. Failing U.S. newspapers are looking for a bailout from the government; nonprofits, telecoms and policy wonks are scrambling to have their say and get their piece of the economic stimulus action – a few billion dollars – to expand broadband networks AND create more content and [...]

History may not repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme, observed Samuel Clemens. I was reminded of Clemens’ vision and failures amid this week’s hoopla over the new Kindle as well a Congressional hearing held today on the crisis in newspapers. Clemens was a visionary who foresaw the age of invention. He wrote a glorious [...]

The Senate Commerce Committee announced announced the lineup for their hearing about the future of journalism.  The list of speakers includes: Senator Ben Cardin Marissa Mayer – Vice President, Search Products and User Experience, Google Alberto Ibarguen – President and Chief Executive Officer, The Knight Foundation David Simon – Author, TV Producer and Former Newspaperman [...]