PressEthic

Bloggers whether they know it or not, are using the internet to recreate the public sphere, the Habermasian ideal that modern journalism was built upon. The key tenet here is that the media provides a forum for the debate of information crucial to democratic decisions. The internet opens up a forum for public debate in a very real sense. It allows information to pass from traditional media to citizen, citizen to citizen and citizen back to media. The internet allows active participation in democracy and the dissemination of media.

This becomes more and more of a possibility as internet penetration grows. According to Nielsen/Net Ratings the USA has an internet penetration of 50.14%, according to the Association for Progressive Communications. As more people gain access to the internet, the more it becomes a powerful democratic tool.

Even more encouraging is that according to a USA Today article, at least 8 million teens blog. While most teen-blogs are small and focus on personal issues, they at least demonstrate a willingness of young Americans to share their opinions with a wider audience. As young people grow up using this tool, the more it will manifest itself in society. It will become an increasingly vital form of communication. If people are prepared to do so, the internet offers a way for people to share their opinion. Like never before people are interconnected and are willing to use this tool to facilitate political discussion. The internet is one global political forum.

Craigslist founder, Craig Newark, is another who sees the internet as an empowering tool for the citizen journalist. In an interview with Grade the News he makes several points regarding the future of journalism. Newark points to a failure of the mainstream media to fulfill their role as society’s watchdog. Newark believes that the internet will drive the convergence of the professional journalist and the citizen journalist to form the future media.

Newark uses Wikipedia to exemplify the trend towards community based journalism. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that can be updated by anyone. Wiki represents a shift in the reporting of historical fact. In the past, Newark says that history was written by the winners, now anyone can contribute. Newark is even considering an investment in this online technology.

With so much being made in recent times about the failings of the mainstream media to fulfill their function as the 4th estate, and instead concentrate on profit, the internet may increasingly offer citizens a way be involved in the dissemination of information and the political process.