True. True. — And True. I think that traditional news media (and music and tv/movie conglomerates as well) need to update and proerly embrace the medium instead of whining and attempting to desperately hold on to their old ways. That would provide the easiest transition. Failing that, some of the more prominent blog sites should set the trend of incorporating some aspects of the “tried and true” journalism models into their workflow and start hiring and deploying trained journalists (which some have likely done). This may accelerate the change. Ideally, both should happen. Unfortunately there is too much backbiting, desperation and shouts of “bloggers ARE real reporters” and “no they're NOT!!!” and “I know you are but what am I???” floating around to actually get anything done. And even if it does eventually go that way, it may take something huge (as in a crisis and/or giant reporting mistake or both) to make anything happen — and when it does happen, one has to ask: Will it already be to late? Will news media (and I include blogs in this, and social media) already be so so polluted that we won't even be able to pretend that the news sources are accurate anymore (like we have been doing for years)? Is our current trend toward sensationalism going to cause the world to implode??

I should note, too, that there is another aspect to this catch 22… While social media is, in some ways, dealing a deathblow to traditional news and to trusted news, it is also forcing the current news to attempt to be more accurate in what they report (stupid opinions aside) — lest they be butchered by the people who were there and are connected online. This, I think, is a good thing — but the cynic in me believes it will only last until the governments and their spin doctors gain control of the news sources again, which they inevitably will try to do, as they have in Iran, China, various African countries, etc, (and as they are likely doing, with more subtlety, in our own back yards as well). The Man will eventually succeed, to varying degrees, and amidst cries of “Big Brother cometh!”, “The end is nigh!” and, “Would you look at that crazy?”, the general populace of the 1st world will go to sleep at night thinking that they are secure and in control, and that what they are doing online to monitor the governments of the world is making a grand impact.

Or so says the conspiracy theorist that occasionally invades my brain.