Via Doc Searles, a pretty good rant from the Head Lemur about where journalism should be headed in terms of linking to source material. I continue to think that the use of hypertext in writing will keep growing and growing until it becomes a requirement for readers consumption of news and information. Obviously Weblogs can facilitate that in classrooms right now.
In Journalism and reporting the ‘view source’ meme can be used by linking to the material used to create stories is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of information and communication. Fact checking is supposed to be the fundamental foundation of reportage in news organizations. The internet is changing the way things get reported. The ability of publishing from a single computer by a single person to collaborative efforts by dozens of individuals, to news organizations that are trying to use the web to bolster circulation and continue the parasitic relationship of the modern news organization, the ability to link to other online sources of information, allowing readers to fact check stories to determine the veracity and neutrality in the case of all those ‘fair and balanced’ folks, is unparalled in the history of communication.
Everyone links to verify facts, but who’s checking the sites they are linking to?
At the very least, the reader has the opprotunity to make up his mind as to the veracity of the source and its significance. I know this can’t be done with interview sources, but it would be a big improvement if the secondary sources could be linked for readers to follow up with.