The distance between citizen journalism and official media seemed so small thanks to my tweets. But at the same time, the distance between official media and citizens on the ground, when it comes to the processing of that news, seemed almost unbridgeable.
Paradox the current news provision and reporting of the on- and offline media. One cannot (or does not want to) afford to be 'too late' with news. The importance of being the first, or at least being in the middle of poland phone number list current events, in practice weighs more heavily than a thorough investigation or a nuanced background story. Twitter, as a source for current citizen journalism, works as a catalyst in this. Citizens on the spot seem to come up with news faster, better and more directly than the traditional media. The solution of those traditional, official media now seems to be: first place, then check. And if it turns out to be wrong: quickly rectify and remove. Then the hype is over as quickly as it came... In the long term, nuance always wins.
So what is the definition of the term 'news' now? Short-term reporting, or long-term interpretation? Before the advent of Twitter and participatory citizen journalism, there was hardly any difference between the two. Nuance crept into reporting as a matter of course, due to practical deadlines and planning of newspapers and broadcasters. That is no longer the case. News now has two manifestations, each with its own standard for truth. The question now is: where is reality in all this reporting? Who still pays attention to what really happened?
If I may fire a shot across the bow: the storytellers, the artists, the filmmakers. In short: storytelling. A narrative of reality may do more justice to that reality than a current news report.