Dan Gillmor: Who's a journalist? Does that matter?
In
“Who’s a journalist? Does that matter?” Dan Gillmor suggests that in a world
shadowed by media at every turn, it is easy to become a “passive consumer” in
the sense that we are merely sponges soaking up information. This remains true whether
that information is credulous or implausible. Gillmor believes that as a
society, we need to convert to “active listeners” participating in “media
literacy”. This transformation is necessary because we live in an era where virtually
anyone can contribute some form of journalism, certified journalist or not. However,
does Gillmor’s advice hold any weight? Gillmor’s past and expertise propose
that we should undoubtedly heed his words concerning the new media revolution,
and that he is highly qualified to be discussing such influential topics. (Gillmor, 2010)
Gillmor
derives his expertise through several different industries. Beginning with
education, he currently teaches digital media entrepreneurship and digital
media literacy at Arizona State University. In addition to enlightening
students about the changing platform of journalism, he has spoken at countless
public and corporate events for organizations such as Knight Center for Digital
Media, New York Press Association, and Newspaper Association of America. As far
as Gillmor’s experience with journalism goes, he was a columnist at San Jose
Mercury News from 1994-2005, and has free-lanced for NY Times, Boston Globe,
and Economist, throughout the years. In
summary, Gillmor boasts an impressive resume covering several aspects of
professionalism that add credibility and depth to this article.
(http://dangillmor.com/about/)
Perhaps
two of his most notable works that relate directly to this article are his
books, “We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People,”
published in 2004, and “Mediactive,” published in 2010. His first book
discusses how the online medium is changing journalism. He includes that by using
a variety of Internet means such as blogs, YouTube, and social media sites,
almost anyone can produce news. Another general theme the book encompasses is
how news is becoming more of a conversation than a traditional lecture.
Even
more closely related to “Who’s a journalist? Does that matter?” is his second
book “Mediactive.” Here, Gillmor states how literacy not only includes knowing
how to read, but the ability to understand the difference between good and bad
uses of medium, and how to create it. Gillmor wants us to line up to this ideal
of literacy by becoming active users of media, a term he also reuses in his
article. Ultimately, the book is trying to acquaint the reader with how the
public needs a media environment that benefits us as both as individuals and a
society. With a fruitful past in media journalism, it is clear Gillmor is a
concrete and insightful source to be discussing such topics.
“Who’s
a journalist? Does that matter?” has been published on a substantial amount of
websites with quite a few reviews reflecting upon Gillmor’s thought-provoking work.
One critic proclaimed his writing as “reasoned and thoughtful” and calls him
“one of the pioneers of citizen journalism and participatory media.” Another
review suggests, “There are more questions than answers in the piece, however
they are questions that really hit a nerve.” The positive responses to
Gillmor’s work echo his career’s main focus: to bring attention to the media
revolution’s influence on journalism and how we must adapt to this shift. His
career is about the people and making
our interaction with news more rational and professional.
In
conclusion, this was a well-written article from a credible source trying to
enlighten our media-driven society of how we should interpret news. His article
has certainly influenced me to think differently as an “active user” of media,
and readers should strongly consider what Gillmor has to say based on his
extensive experience in the field.
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