When I saw this screen grab of Morley Safer being interviewed on C-Span I immediately connected the face with what's wrong with "old media". Safer's recent attack on "new media" using words like "appalled" to describe what he thinks of Twitter and Facebook is misguided.
As content flies across the Internet in all directions and at the speed of the click of a mouse, Safer, much like the "traditional media" that he represents appears withered and worn.
Tired trying to fight the good fight to keep journalistic values intact, folks like Shafer miss the boat and are standing on a pier waiting for another one to dock. There are no other boats.
Dressed neatly, looking dapper, Safer blames much of what has become of traditional or "old" media on the free wheeling ways of social media and faux journalism.
There's no question about Shafer's credentials -- he's been a correspondent with CBS news for 42 years. The real issue, however, is how Shafer doesn't realize the fact that he is one of the elite -- the old breed and an elder statesmen for an industry in demise.
The debate over why media is failing us to is not about the quality of content as Shafer would have us believe. The real debate over "new media" should be about who controls the message. The real reason elder statesmen like Shafer are crying in their beer is not about journalism it's about power.
The soap box has always belonged to the guy that owned it. Today, there are a billion soap boxes and more are being built every day. This is why folks like Shafer and others are so "appalled".
One problem is that human beings are too sentimental about holding on to things they've become accustomed to. They like the feel of newsprint in the morning. Give me a break.
We are creatures of habit, and until mobile apps and living online cross the digital divide - when this gap narrows --what we call new media will become "the media".
Why are we making such a big over new media? People began distrusting "traditional media" long before the Internet came along. It all started when "Big" business such as Murdock's News Corps and other conglomerates got their hooks into buying up all the independents in this country.
Everything seems to come down to who we can trust to give us unbiased, accurate, and timely information in which we can inform ourselves and make smart choices. Getting the news from trusted sources can make us feel safe and better informed. Today, even those time-honored sources are not to be trusted.
Social media reflects the world we live in -- its fast-paced, chaotic and unpredictable.
