Episode Information
The new buzzword in media: aggregation. The Huffington Post does it, it happens every minute on Twitter… and on local websites like ct capital report dot com.
And, it’s not just new media bloggers doing it - as larger newspapers shed local reporters, they’re borrowing content from smaller papers as well.
But what does this “link economy” mean for the newspaper industry, and the future of media?
Last week at a Federal Trade Commission workshop – Arianna Huffington engaged in a back-and-forth with Rupert Murdoch, who said aggregators are “not investing in journalism… They are feeding off the hard work of others”. What Murdoch sees as “theft”, other news outlets see as the future of how we consume media.
Locally, the Manchester Journal Inquirer is suing the Hartford Courant for plagiarizing stories – a practice the bigger paper has apologized for.
Join the conversation – how do you get news? Do you read aggregate websites – or those run by traditional newspapers. And, would you pay for access to your favorite news site?
Listener Email from Roger
Listener Email from Robert
There is a significant distinction between "aggregation" and downright theft. IMHO, the Hartford Courant is a ruthless and rapacious monopoly in our region and deserves a harsh penalty. I also think the real story here is the exploitation of us all by the meretricious treadmill that our hasty consumer-based culture imposes. I wish that you would devote some programs solely to The Hartford Courant's jaded exploitation of us all in the Greater Hartford area.