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It's About Convergence, Not Who Wins

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Not "corporate" convergence

2/21/2002 4:09:13 PM
Posted By: Mark Whittaker

Mike, I see a big difference between the convergence Cory writes about and the corporate convergence you fear. Convergence is not about creating giant media companies. It's about effectively using a combination of media to do good journalism. It's about taking advantage of television's video and speed, print's depth and Web's breadth.

Cory's article has been a topic of e-mail conversation among some of the powers that be at my company (I'm the Web guy). One comment - take it for what it's worth - was about the particulars of sharing a running story. Who hands off to whom as the deadlines roll by?

corporate convergence

2/20/2002 3:25:45 PM
Posted By: Mike Broderick

Dear Cory,
Thanx for a great article on the convergence of media, but I do hold out one exception to your observations. The notion that corporate convergence is without a doubt a manifest evil to the very foundations of free and open thought and expression in our society is, to me, self-evident from some easily obtained facts. Please note that there is clear evidence that the more the media is handed over to the likes of Rupert Murdoch et alia, the "news biz" simply becomes a commodity like soap, cars, or any other product. So much for the "glory days" of us old fuddy duddies, who (mistakenly?) believe we actually had a Constitutionally mandated role to play in maintaining freedom among our citizenry, to wit, their right to know.
This "convergence" you speak of so admirably will, in the long term, in no way allow for a free press to speak "truth to power." Or perhaps you can point me in the direction of the last time you know of NBC doing an expose on the dangers of nuclear watse? cf., General Electric. Or refute the clear evidence that ABC killed a story about known, convicted child molesters getting jobs at amusement parks? cf, Disney Corp? When will PBS do a documentary about the pollution of thr River Rouge in Michigan?, cf. Ford, and Ford Foundation $$. More examples would be tedious, but there are far too many.
Cory, I respectfully request you reconsider the "magic of convergence" unless you really like vanilla news. My thanks for considering my point of view.
Mike Broderick

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