We the Media -- Chapter 3

"The Gates come Down," the third chapter of Dan Gillmor's book on new media, focuses on the new, interactive role that the everyday consumer can play in the dissemination of news. Gillmor outlines the cominbation of widespread technological breakthroughs and an incresingly savvy public, a combination that has caused headaches for traditional media outlets.

The highlight of this chapter is the numerous examples the author gives to back up his point. In his opening paragraph, Gillmor discusses bloggers' role in the Trent Lott/Strom Thurmond story, pointing out that non-traditional media outlets -- aka liberal bloggers -- kept the story alive and forced it into the public eye.

This example is the first of many in the chapter. Whether it is consumers finding new uses for products, teenagers conning stock traders out of millions of dollars or civil liberties groups turning the tables on the "Total Information Awareness" program, the general public is becoming more empowered everyday.

The crucial component to the breakdown of traditional media rules is the technology boom, which Gillmor lays out in detail. With the ability to take pictures at nearly any point and the medium of the Internet to spread information to the populace, the consumer is now armed with the same tools as the traditional journalist.

While Gillmor makes a strong argument, he fails to acknowledge the advantages traditional media outlets still possess. The access that, say, the New York Times has to a high-level executive of a major corporation cannot be matched by bloggers. That access is what still seperates traditional media from the masses, and Gillmor does not adequately address this point.

Despite this drawback, however, Gillmor's argument is well-founded and amply backed up by his examples. Bloggers are indeed marking their territory in the world of journalism. Indeed, I'm doing it right now.