Are You Truly Informed??

The newspaper industry is slowly going through a transformation. Cyberjournalism is new form of news writing and is emerging in cities throughout the country. The average citizen is put in the driver’s seat as they become the reporters and write the stories they feel are important.

I reviewed an online journalism effort in San Diego and was quite surprised by what I found. The site “Voice of San Diego.org” is a non-profit online newspaper focused on issues affecting the San Diego region. Their unique mission statement is:

“to consistently deliver ground-breaking investigative journalism for the San Diego region. To increase civic participation by giving citizens the knowledge and in-depth analysis necessary to become advocates for good government and social progress.”

The site is simply dedicated to informing. No entertainment here. The online newspaper prides itself on the fact that its sole focus is to deliver local news and issues. They present the neighborhood news from an independent prospective.

As the mission statement implies, The newspaper has an overwhelming local feel to it. It is simply the news relevant to the citizens of San Diego. I live in Erie, PA so the articles and issues discussed are somewhat irrelevant to me but could be very important to others. This type of reporting is good in a sense that local citizens can become more actively involved in their community events. They will know, not just some, but ALL of the issues affecting their area and will be able to make educated and informed decision. This seems like the perfect idea in theory. But if one was to rely solely on the Voice of San Diego for their news they would be missing out on vital section of information; world news. Like any form of media, readers must not rely solely on one source for news.

Another unique aspect of the site that it is professionally staffed yet still a non-profit organization. It’s the only organization of its kind in the whole state of California. They operate from the financial support of individuals, foundations and business.

Because the online newspaper is non-profit, the idea of commercialism plays less of a role in the depiction of events. The paper can publish whatever they want, not just what will make them money. They don’t have as many constraints and can focus on bringing the reader stories that are most likely to impact their daily lives.

Sometimes in journalism the structure of the organizational structure of the paper can determine what stories they cover or the bias with which they write. The Voice of San Diego is run by a board of 6 directors and has a staff of 8 writers, editors and producers. Interestingly enough each member of the board has a unique background. No two have the same. Each member brings a different outlook to the paper. This allows for a balance between the stories that will be covered. If the board of directors were all tied to the same company the paper would most likely have a skewed focus.

In conclusion, the only way to be sure that you are getting fully informed is to rely on more than one source. No matter how unbiased and informative one paper or television news cast may seem, you’re still missing vital information in some way. One media source can’t do it all. A mix of all types and varieties is the only sure way to stay truly informed.