New Media, Old Media, We Media

I was fortunate to be able to participate in a panel discussion for the Pacific Century Fellows Class of 2007 today. The topic was “Evolution of On-line News & Its Effect on Journalism and News Reporting,” and my fellow panelists were:

• Chris Archer, News Director, KGMB9
• Sandra Oshiro, Managing Editor Digital/Multimedia, Honolulu Advertiser
• Malia Zimmerman, President, Hawaii Reporter

So, the print, broadcast, online, and… erm, random geek perspectives were represented. It was a great session, due largely in part to active participation from the Fellows. (Kari Leong of GreaterGoodRadio.com was among them.) There were lots of general questions about editorial judgement, the influence of advertisers, and conflicts of interest, largely directed at Sandra and Chris. Why does one story lead the evening news before another, or appear on page A-1 above another? Why does the news media trend toward the sensational, or the negative?

But there was good discussion on the topic of the day, including the perennial duo, “What is a blog?” And, “Do bloggers deserve any protections afforted the traditional press?” Zimmerman talked a bit about her investigation into the Ka Loko dam breach last year and its aftermath, including being subpoenaed for her notes. She found herself again explaining why Hawaii Reporter is not a blog, which brought us right back to another panel discussion almost three years ago. The more things change…

In any case, it was an honor to be included in such a sharp, talented group. Thanks to KGMB’s Jared Kuroiwa for the invitation.