"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." --- A.J. Liebling
Traditionally, we have had three main groups in publishing: the producer, the consumer and the advertiser. Media producers did not necessarily rise to the top by virtue of their skill, but by virtue of owning a press and keeping advertisers and readers happy (sometimes in that order).
The internet has permanently blurred those lines by making communication free or cheap and traditional roles are being upset. The three groups have been heaped together. Every valley has been filled and every mountain made low, and in the resulting level playing field, media producers are beholden to the public and no other.
To be a media producer in the past had a very high cost of entry; running a press, radio broadcasting station or television production studio is no small affair. As in any cornered market, free market principles did not hold. Media producers with the capital to run a press rose to the top and by virtue of their position, created the news, rather than sharing it.
Times have changed. The cost of entry now is the price of a computer and the willingness to get your hands dirty and learn. Even this barrier is collapsing, as cellphones and other small devices are becoming media publishing platforms.
Information suppression is impossible
We can no longer suppress important information, even when we want to. The barrier of entry is too low, and communication technologies currently protected by law EmpowerPeopleToCreateChange.
- Zimbabwe new media evades censors: "While Zimbabwe’s Zanu-PF government and its supporters have strengthened President Robert Mugabe’s grip on power by cracking down on the independent media, taking measures such as pulling down satellite dishes and confiscating radios, digital media (on the internet and mobile phones) have proved to be largely beyond their reach."
- Burma’s cyber-dissidents
- BBC: Mobile phone captures Iraq’s cruelty
- Saddam Execution Images Shown on TV, Web
- The AP on Saddam's Execution video being leaked
Speculation: parties that wish to divert public attention away from something will likely switch tactics from suppression to mis-direction.
Categories: Communication