Illuminated Media

Journalism’s true strength in the Internet era is decentralized. It’s all about reporters — and reporting teams — working solo, but linking up in parallel to coordinate on stories, cross-promote, and share resources. Parallel processing! Peer-to-peer networks. A network model harnesses the inherent strength of the Web as a medium, by providing a shared back […]

The ongoing flow citizen media coming out of Iran amidst the turmoil has staggered me. I am astonished and weeping at the incredible bravery that is being revealed, at the greed and cruelty of the state, at the power of media as an expression of will and desire. Here is a video that overpowers me. […]

This has been an idea that’s been percolating in my noggin for some time. Every time I hear about the latest journalism initiative or major donor, this idea returns: It’s time to pool the resources and create a “Journalism Social Venture Fund” that can provide for the basic needs of the many new/emerging nonprofit journalism […]

Last year I was advised (by wise and admired colleagues) that I shouldn’t use the phrase “producer’s co-op” to describe Independent Arts & Media and Newsdesk.org, because it sounded too, whaddyacall, commie. It was advice I took, and generally it feels like a good rhetorical push away from the cliche. Nevertheless, as conversations about these […]

I got a whole lotta heck from my colleagues last year for attempting to coin, or at least advance, the phrase “Public Media 2.0,” as part of my Mesa Refuge writing residency. Basically, the “2.0” concept had/has been played out, they said … Well, the fact is, the “2.0” suffix may be overused (for myself, […]