As the backbone of a "dying art," journalists are harnessing the potential of
collective intelligence to keep one step ahead of their readers, which is
crucial for their existence. Jay Rosen describes journalists as
being a "heightened case of an informed citizen" (Wilson, 2008). This view
underpins the importance of collective intelligence in research, consolidating
news and keeping journalists more informed than their audience, maintaining
relevance, creative angles and the newsworthiness of their stories (Wilson,
2008).
In our digital age where the readers expect to participate, this is a real
challenge.
Flew defines collective intelligence as
the “capacity of networks to enhance social knowledge by expanding the extent
of human interactions (2008).” Whether journalists use Wikipedia, Google, social
networks or blogs, they are using the intellectual
potential of a large group of individuals to make better, more informed choices
and sharing
what they know to investigate the story to more depth.
Journalists face a difficult conflict
when relying on collective intelligence for primary research. Wikipedia, for
example, as a collective intelligence forum cannot be cited as a credible
source. It is generally unacceptable to do so, despite 50 of the top 100
American publications regularly doing so (Yoskowitz, 2010). Anyone
can contribute, but this is both a benefit and a limitation: once online the
material becomes free content and can be used, edited, copied or redistributed. The primary
criticism, with Wikipedia and blogs alike, is the content is not always
reliable due to bias or factual errors, but it guides journalists to issues
that exist within their story before the investigative stage (Yoskowitz, 2010). It is also an
indication of audience’s existing
knowledge. Mansell
mirrors the view of Agence France-Presse, suggesting these
collective intelligence networks “give you the questions you should ask,
not the answers (Mansell, 2007).”
While collective intelligence networks such as Twitter are supplementing
some traditional research, it is not replacing the roles of editors in their
fact checking (Bunz, 2010).
Actually, it is making the process more efficient and open to a wider range of
sources rather than only interviewing eyewitnesses. Here, Paul Lewis explains
the importance of the shift from a monologic to dialogic media in uncovering
the more truthful story about the murder of a man in London.
The
original publication portrayed a different scenario, yet after a social media
uprising, Lewis was able to piece together the real series of events. It is
these stories that put journalists ahead of the audience, which is a point of
difference against alternative media. Journalism is not just social commentary,
but an exposé and a watchdog for authoritarian misbehavior (Jones, 2012). No
longer must they crumble under pressures of mild censorship but can more
readily uphold their professional responsibility - reporting the real truth.
As an example of collective
intelligence in reporting, Indymedia (Independent Media Centres) is “a
collective of independent media organizations and journalists offering
grassroots, non-corporate coverage.” It is an important network for collective
intelligence as it provides a contact base for those interested in collaboration
with
informed, passionate journalists, resulting in higher quality pieces (Mansell,
2007). Instead of editors assigning their writers stories they know little
about, Indymedia increases productivity and efficiency because the journalists
are already well informed and can explore the topic in-depth (Independent Media
Centre Australia, 2006). This provides a unique perspective on the issue rather
than emulating a basic understanding of background on the headline. Simply put,
this makes for better reporting.
Even with the allegation that
IMCs are heavily subjective, they are still a useful resource for journalists
for gaining perspective and opinion, enabling them to gather information and a
clearer picture (Independent Media Centre Australia, 2006).
Similarly, crowd sourcing is important in our
participatory culture; this user-led content creation creates a network of
collective intelligence. Databases such as Assignment Zero implement
a model of social conscience on local and state matters, which is particularly
important as these local publications undergo budget cuts and deliver less
content. Essentially, it solves “journalistic oversight, coupled with the ethics
of journalism” (“Assignment Zero,” 2013). Pro-am journalism and
crowd sourcing is particularly useful in instances where journalists can’t be
amongst the action. For example, when CBS correspondent Lara Logan was beaten
and sexually assaulted on location in 2011, CBS leveraged collective
intelligence networks like Twitter and Assignment Zero, enabled by the
Internet, to report on the events in Egypt from afar (Colvin, 2011). It is this style of journalism that ensures readers
get the most up to date, accurate information – a title that broadcast and
print journalists are always in pursuit of (TheDigitalMedia, 2011).
Collective intelligence is used by journalists at
every stage of their professional capacity, and underpins the industry’s
existence in the current digital age. It comes about as a by-product of our
ever-increasing interconnectedness, namely through the Internet, linking
networks of contributors in our participatory culture. What distinguishes
journalists, however, is their ability to harness collective intelligence to
report a story first, to take an alternative angle and to remain impartial yet
informative to create a more accurate reflection of society as a whole.
WORDS: 790 - 850 incl. in text references.
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