Baron von News
I've held onto this one in draft for quite a while, thinking it would be unveiled along with my strategy of world domination. Alas, because I have nothing better to post, I'll just put it out there, without even looking through it to see if it needs editing.Through various discussions, private thoughts and angry reactions, I've discovered that if I really want to positively influence the world through the 'news', I'm going to need to be a media baron.
Kate said baron carries with it some not-so-good connotations, along the lines of, "I will control you through my evil empire." So perhaps I will be a media friend instead of baron. I'll even start a society. It will be called the Friends of the Media Society, or FOMS for short. If you would like to be in FOMS, drop me a line. We'll be influencing the world some day, so I'd encourage you to attend our Monday meetings at 7.30pm in the hall of Scout Troop #56.
But seriously. As an international journalist working for a traditional news corporation will I be told to cover only the 'big' stories? Darfur is big for a month. Iraq is crackling along. Hey, a peacekeeper's been killed in Democratic Republic of Congo, ship out! I'm not sure if that's how it works, but there's more going on than we hear about from mainstream media. So my thoughts turned to freelance international journalism, roaming the earth, covering the stories that matter, the stories that people need to hear. Unfortunately a freelance journalist has to sell a product. What product sells? 'Big' news. Damn, back to square one because you have to eat, right?
Then I thought I could try to be an editor, the gatekeeper of the information. That's right, I decide what stories get in or out of today's paper or tonight's six o'clock news. And no damnit, you won't be getting entertainment. Hard news for you! Unfortunately it was pointed out to me even editors often have to take an editorial policy or line from above. Firstly, I would hope I wouldn't be working in such an organisation but, they still have to make money.
And thus we come full circle. I must become the Baron von News. I need a news organisation that I can charge to carry out the dissemination of information with the utmost objectivity and integrity. My editors will be charged with one editorial policy only, inform the public. The same policy will apply to journalists.
The public can take it or leave it. And this is why I'll have to be a media baron. The news will never be judged on market share. My movie network or cable company will have to make megabucks and pick up the slack
Mmm, fashion label. VonDave
the earley edition - Posted by Dave @ 6/01/2005 11:42:00 pm || ||
