The beauty of the news
Today’s We Media Global conference is taking place at the very fancy Reuters Global headquarters at Canary Wharf. Yesterday we met at the BBC, at a different style of building altogether (someone actually compared it to a run down hospital). But both buildings shared something very obvious: these are news organisations.
At Reuters, visitors are greeted by a huge outdoor screen with the latest stories and pictures, inside there are large screens as well as pictures everywhere. In the BBC reception area, there were screens with a video loop on all the great news stories the organisation has covered.
Not that surprising of course, but nevertheless my mind keeps searching for an adequate description of the effects of this abundant news display. While I was waiting at the BBC I saw the Twin Towers exploding over and over again. And drinking coffee at Reuters today, the Kuwaiti oil fields are burning behind the coffee table.
Yes, this what the news looks like. (Especially at Reuters, news looks really wonderful, actually). But somehow, using such material to promote the quality of reporting (BCC) or to decorate the beautiful conference area (Reuters) generates a feeling of unease as well. The news is too good looking.
TAG: wemedia
Stop confusing news with entertainment.
News is information. Information ‘wants’ to be free. A free people require access to information as a right. When free people acquire information they make democracy work.
A free people also want entertainment. They are free, so they choose to pay for it, or not.
Media messages that are ‘packaged’ fail because it is clear that they aim to influence, not to inform or educate. Thus: Modern ‘professional’ media is failing. The people see through the package. The people seek information elsewhere. End of old media.