Jtm-mn-mpr

Minnesota Public Radio: What do citizens want from citizen media

Here are running notes on a conversation streamed live today (June 6, 2008) on the web from Minnesota Public Radio in Saint Paul, Minn. -- a group of 14 citizens and a half dozen media reformers talking about what citizens want from their citizen media -- moderated by MPR's Michael Caputo.

Listener Jan Fisher (spelling) talks about the punch cards/hanging chads from 2004 in Florida. It struck him as odd that a professor/commentator knew all about the chads problem -- "I think we overrely on our found experts . . . when you talk to the person who actually really did it, you find out what really went wrong."

Listener says it makes sense to have small staff of professional journalists at Off the Bus on Huffington Post and elsewhere, which vet stories contributed by hundreds of citizen contributors. The professionals "do a really good job of keeping their bias out, but keeping the tidbids of the reporting in."

Listener: "I'm having trouble understanding what the downside is to having the public send their tidbits in . . . as long as the media source is still in charge of making sure the information is correct . . . can somebody help me out with that?"

Listener: The problem is partisanship has been going up and up -- there is nobody neutral in America anymore -- everyone is partisan. Even if you try to go and listen to the news as a neutral person, someone from the opposite side will attack. Ombudsmen at The Washington Post and elsewhere, this is much more sophisticated than just an average citizen criticizing or making judgement.

Listener Joe Shaeler (sp?): The public can be like the second wave on a story. You could read a story, say on the economy, and request input. The professional reporters can qualify partisanship out. ... .

Michael Caputo: What about the public as correspondent, as the iReporter initiative at CNN. It's produced by the public.

Listener David Degraf -- The problem is there are too many people who now have pedestals. The media is not the only culpable. He watches news from Fox, CNN, NPR, Sean Hanity or Al Frankin or Rush Limbaugh. He likes news. "But as soon as it gets into the pop culture stuff, that's when I change to a new channel becuase I am more interest in the problems our country faces ... the media would focus more on that if the public were more discerning."