You have a paper due, and though your bibliography fills pages, you're still not exactly sure of the difference between a republic and a democracy. You're on the phone with a friend, hearing about her plans vacation in Monteray...is that in California or one of those other warm states? You place a bet with a friend when you're sure that that song is by Led Zepplin and he says it's the Rolling Stones and you say the two bands don't even sound the same. Where do you turn when your grades, your reputation, or even ten dollars stands on the line?

Wikipedia, of course.

But this article from MSNBC points out that Wikipedia isn't always the ultimate source for the ultimate truth. When Senator Ted Kennedy was hospitalized after suffering a seizure Tuesday, Wikipedia was the first to post the news...of his death. It took several editing tries for Wiki's avatars to correct Kennedy's entry and lose the section of his life story where he died. 

The article's author poses an interesting claim here: even though Wikepedia serves as an encyclopediac reference, it's the first place people look when they want to know whether something's true. Why check CNN or MSNBC for late-breaking news when the information you want is available (though at the end of the entry) on Wikipedia? The piecing of information from multiple sources into single comprehensive entries appeals to us. However, incidences such as this serve to remind us that Wikipedia isn't infallible. 

In class today, Ms. Hartsell-Gundy mentioned that watching live streaming coverage of the presidential inauguration supported the objectives of IMS 201 through showing the power of the Internet. Although it seemed a bit of a stretch, I think that she had a pretty good point. After class I returned to my room, where my roommate and I discussed whether we should watch CNN on our television or online. She considered buying a podcast of the ceremony on iTunes. The array of viewing options for this historical event is certainly wider than they have been for any inaugurations in the past. This blog from the BBC discusses these new coverage options and ways in which news corporations and viewers will use them.

The author says that some events, such as this one, are "classic television events," the kind of story that audiences want to sit back and watch. However, viewers increasingly want to participate in events. I found the ways in which audiences can interact with online coverage very interesting. Blogging, Twitter messages, photo posts - the Internet can make every citizen a news correspondent. CNN's request that people in attendance at the inauguration send in photos taken at exactly noon is one example of the way that media companies are using interactive technology and the everyman to enrich their broadcasts and online material. It aslo seems that online media allows more accessibility and archivablility than prior media, granting anyone with Internet access lasting access to historical recordings.

In work for another class, I recently read this article highlighting one writer's work for the Huffington Post, a liberal news website and blog. The Post offers material written by freelance, unpaid bloggers as well as links to other, more traditional news sources.

The above article discusses the changing face of news reporting and work in the field. Since readers are increasingly checking sites like the Huffington Post instead of sites with articles by paid reporters, the job market for professional  journalists is narrowing. New voices are being heard in news reporting, as anyone can publish their ideas and observations online. 

The article also discusses one aspect I see as a downside to the Internet's reinvention of journalism: the "buffet-style" form of news. Individuals can search for news on websites of a single political persuasion (such as the Post) or search "buffet-style" for stories that confirm, instead of argue against, their own beliefs.

As a journalism major, I check the Huffington Post and other news blogs frequently. This article reminded me of some of the many ways that online publishing affects the field of journalism.