"The Press Sphere"

Jeff Jarvis describes today’s news in his model of the “Press Sphere.” This model is characterized by many different factors that in the end seemingly distort the original news story. Whereas the old method of obtaining news by print was very direct and the reader was obtaining the news through only one filter, which was the press. Today, there seem to be many different issues that cause the news story that the person hears to be less reputable. Online, there is a system of links that cause the reader to in turn become the editor and the synthesizer of the information. The news story also usually has to pass through the government, companies, witnesses, and aspects of such nature before reaching the average person. I find it interesting when Jarvis claims:

“Stories and topics become molecules that attract atoms: reporters, editors, witnesses, archives, commenters, and so on, all adding different elements to a greater understanding. Who brings that together? It’s not always the reporter or editor anymore. It can just as easily be the reader(s) now.”

I actually was very interested in what Jarvis was saying in this article. His points seem to make sense, and it is interesting to think about whether the internet is actually causing more harm than good. I personally believe that the internet is helping more than it is hurting, but reading this article has definitely tempted me to sway my opinions. I admit that whenever I am reading something that uses links, I tend to ignore them even if they may hold great importance. I guess this is just my laziness at work. I had never thought about the importance of these small pieces of information until I read this article.