Comments on: Wired on Drugs, or adopting a foreign language?: Assignment Zero

By: mfphdrqyut

mfphdrqyut — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:30:56 +0000

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By: Social Media Club - » Social Media Now: Journalism Goes Pro-Am

Social Media Club - » Social Media Now: Journalism Goes Pro-Am — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 15:12:51 +0000

[...] of the response on the Net was positive, but Duncan Riley at 901am has a blistering response basically calling the idea a hippie pipe [...]

By: Seth Finkelstein

Seth Finkelstein — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:47:20 +0000

Thanks for the well-needed skepticism, Duncan.

One small correction: “beat” is US journalism jargon for “area of coverage” – maybe something like the UK word “[minister's] portfolio”

FYI, not on journalism in specific, but on the sort of “hippie” connection in general, take a look at:

“Web 2.0: It’s … like your brain on LSD!”

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/21/web_two_point_nought_poll/

By: Digidave

Digidave — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 08:27:05 +0000

Hey Duncan
Thought I’d chime in too. Jay certainly does have a way with words. You have to remember this project is the culmination of the last 15 or so years of his career as an academic/media critic. Imagine trying to cram in a Ph.D thesis into one 2,000 words.

But that article aside — Assignment Zero (of which I’m a part), has a lot of potential. It is not just another wiki. It’s a collaboration between professional journalists and citizen journalists.

Think of it this way. People complain that readers aren’t engaged in the news anymore. Well, what better way to engage them than to make them part of the process.

So Assignment Zero will have radically transparent editorial meetings. The direction of the story will be determined by the crowd, but it will be brought home by professional journalists and writers. The New York Times head office is still closed to the public. We have no idea what will hit the front pages tomorrow until it arrives on our doorstep.

Assignment Zero, however, gives people a chance to become informed while the news is happening. The newsroom is open.

By: muhammad saleem

muhammad saleem — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 08:13:02 +0000

Definitely. Duncan basically you read an article that unfortunately doesn’t get the point across very well, which is unfortunate when coming from Jay. The article you should have read and covered, explains the project as follows:

“We are the media.”

“In partnership with Jay Rosen’s NewAssignment.Net, we are launching a novel experiment in the new, new journalism: Assignment Zero.”

“This project offers any willing contributor the chance to do the work of a reporter, writer, researcher or editor in a joint investigation by Wired and NewAssignment.Net.”

“Our hope is that a team of professionals, working with scores of citizen journalists, is capable of completing an investigative project of far greater scope than a team of two or three professionals ever could.”

Let me know if this makes more sense now?

By: Duncan Riley

Duncan Riley — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 07:18:35 +0000

excellent muhammad, now presuming you’re not stoned can you please explain what all this means in English ;-)

By: muhammad saleem

muhammad saleem — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:54:12 +0000

Just to let y’all know, me, from 901am is also a part of the project and it kicks some major ass!