Briggs chapter 10: managing news as a conversation

According to Briggs, now that news is a conversation, one of the greatest challenges facing journalists is how to manage, and leverage, that conversation.  To prove Briggs’ point, it is best to bring up a quote from one of the most famous journalists of all time, Edward R. Murrow.

“The speed of communication is wonderful to behold.  It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.”


Today, Murrow’s observation has been truer than ever.  According to Briggs, even journalists feeling overwhelmed by new technology can see that more interaction with the audience carries big benefits.  However, every opportunity creates questions and challenges:

  • How do journalists participate in the conversation without sacrificing their objectivity or credibility?
  • What about legal and ethical issues now that everyone can publish anything they want on a professional news site?
  • And what happens when you really want the audience to participate, but they don’t?

This chapter addresses those questions and how many people focus on the idea that a future in journalism means managing online communities and participating in various social networks.  That’s part of it, but a huge part of news is managing it as a conversation and its outcomes.



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