A landlord of several run-down homes can be heard explaining his lighting choices: “Too much light shows what a sad state these places are in.” Many can likely think of a situation where that statement was all too true, but few would put the internet in that category. Newswire, a social media and news outlet, has the capacity to be a shining beacon of the internet through its new patent. As traditional news media comes to grips with the explosion of bloggers and freelance writers, allowing them limited space in televised and print news, Newswire has made a full effort to harness their collective energy into something greater. A look at its patent (http://patents.ext.com/) shows several complex, mind boggling charts that all point to one common theme: the internet allows individuals to actively inform themselves, rather than wait to be passively informed by an “in the know” individual.
What is Newswire doing?
Just like the plethora of other patents out there, Newswire’s gives a brief description of what it is attempting to do in the world of internet news. The description will ring home with readers, as newspapers and televised newscasts have come under the magnifying glass for over-reporting certain stories while neglecting others. The reason, the patent declares, is that only a few individuals are really responsible for putting news into a readable or viewable format. News organizations pick up these reports, modify them slightly if at all, and pass them off to the consumer. Any news consumer who has read more than one news report of an event will likely notice the amazing similarity, despite the supposed difference in where it came from. Newswire’s intent, as made clear and public in its patent, is to allow more reports of more news to come in from the world, rather than give a few individuals the right to tell of what is going on.
How does it work, and why should I trust it?
The complex flow charts are all expansions of a simple principle: reporting is done by writers, bloggers and witnesses of any kind. After creating an account on Newswire, similar to the process of any social networking site, an individual may post reports and blogs to different discussion groups. This collects freelance news media to one easy to navigate location.
This raises a question of trust. Traditional news media relied upon seasoned editors and years of “getting the story right” to gain public trust. Newswire is fresh and, therefore, cannot have years of experience just yet, but it does have an editing staff. Individuals who want to become true reporters for Newswire need only go through a verification process to become trusted. This process is shown to be a combination of demonstrated writing talent and demonstrated biology.
Demonstrated Writing Talent
To become a writer for Newswire, as shown by Figure 4 (pp. 12), an individual must first become a Probationary Writer by agreeing to Newswire’s terms of service (like signing a traditional employment contract). Five articles will then be written, accepted and submitted. Each of the steps in this process are important to verifying an individual’s capacity to report well: acceptance shows that the editors have evaluated the content and style, and they are up to Newswire standards; submission allows the world to evaluate this as well. The perk of internet news reporting is the comment space attached to anything written on Newswire, in that individuals who feel a reporter is not up to a standard can give public feedback immediately. Reporters who are published and carry few or none of these blemishes have demonstrated their writing talent.
Demonstrated Biology
An easily overlooked component of the verification process is a phone interview. A writer must be a human being, rather than a complex search program that regurgitates information found elsewhere on the web. As stated in the beginning of the patent, Newswire’s goal is to get fresh news from new sources. An individual must demonstrate that he or she is such a source and is capable of reporting.
Are they reporters or bloggers?
Newswire reporters are also bloggers, as Newswire demonstrates an embrace of gonzo journalism. Briefly, gonzo journalism is a style in which subjectivity is recognized as unavoidable in writing and, therefore, embraced as a means of conveying what a reporter actually sees. Objectivity is embraced by traditional media because so few reporters are actually utilized, so consumers must be left to make their own opinions. Newswire, while not endorsing fictitious news, recognizes that allowing so many individuals to report through their forum creates an opportunity for a balance of thought. Two individuals may see a political rally through an entirely different light, but they will report on the same event under the same “group” (like a section of a traditional newspaper). Readers will have the opportunity to weigh both sides and actively participate in news.
All verified Newswire writers receive a press badge (Figure 5.1). This badge demonstrates faith on the part of Newswire and demonstrated press capacity on the part of the verified writer, and it gives the chance to witness events as a member of the press. The badge contains all of the information of the verified writer and holds him or her to a standard of conduct befitting a member of the press. The badge also declares the individual a member of the Newswire press, thus staking the company’s reputation on the performance and demeanor of its reporter.
What will this mean for the news business?
Any individual searching the internet for news will find the same hurdles: personal relevance, timeliness and trustworthiness. Newswire’s patented method of disseminating news overcomes these hurdles for readers. By allowing so many to be contributors to this forum, Newswire gives the opportunity for more personally relevant news, be it a local event or a national concern. Contributions are also posted near instantaneously, so there is no worry of a lag in reporting time. Editors may choose whether or not a submission is posted, but readers have a chance to comment instantly on a piece, giving a chance to temper any writing with others’ thoughts.
For the news business, Newswire represents a fresh look at search engine use. Where companies would once pay writers to reformat a work to increase search engine optimization (often by keyword clustering and density), the capturing of so many fragmented writers means that searches will naturally come to Newswire. With so many human beings writing in a natural, human style, searches are more likely to find this mass of internet postings, as opposed to a handful of sites carefully crafted to register with a limited set of search terms.
Newswire’s patent is public. It is not hidden in a patent office, nor is it squirreled away in the web domain, waiting for the right search term and link path to find it. Anyone can read it and its message: news media is not to be crafted by a few individuals, reporting on limited high-interest stories; news media is to be crafted by anyone who witnesses something, as high-interest is a term that varies by consumer.