The People Formerly Known as the Audience
Ruminations on audiences, media in north central Ohio, looking back at 2010 and looking ahead at the new year...
It never fails. Every time that I draft a blog post relating to the current state of media in north-central Ohio, I hear from a reader or two (or more) with a different opinion.
That shared, it’s still a vitally important topic for online conversation. The world of newspapers, radio stations, TV stations and online media is changing dramatically in this part of the world, just as it is everywhere else. The histories of local established media institutions are long and storied and feelings run deep, so it’s only natural that disruption in the status quo would be exciting for some and unsettling for others.Across the country, pundits have attempted to give expression to some of the paradigm shifts which are occurring. Some years back one such writer, journalist Jay Rosen, remarked on one such change. In discussing the tendency toward a more interactive approach to journalism occurring nationwide, Rosen noted that the consumers of media are increasingly becoming the creators of media – and that they could properly now be called “the people formerly known as the audience.”
That means you, by the way.
That phrase bears itself out in the online pages of GalionLive every day. Our sites are grounded on the premise that the news shared on Facebook by local churches, organizations and businesses, as well as opinions, events and blog posts on GalionLive Online, is as much “news” as is our coverage of school board or city council meetings. Opinions of our readers are just as important as those which we may hold, and in many cases more so.
This distinction was in evidence this week as both the Galion Inquirer and GalionLive penned stories dealing with the most important local news of 2010. In Friday’s edition the Inquirer shared its own take on this subject, profiling news items it considered to be newsworthy – which they certainly were. On the other hand, GalionLive turned to our readers to nominate and vote on what they found to be interesting and worth revisiting.
Is this a distinction with a difference? I would say yes. The stories listed were dramatically different; some of those cited by the Inquirer would have made my own personal list, and some on our nominated list somehow missed the Inquirer writer’s attention. The bottom line is this, however – just as I felt no compunction or temptation to pen my own take on the top stories of 2010, I honestly have little interest in reading only what one person on Harding Way East has to say on the subject. To me, sharing the responsibility of choosing those stories is part of living in, and building up, a community.
We live together in this place called Galion. Some are involved in civic affairs, while others are not. Almost all of us, however, pay taxes of some type, be they income, property and/or sales. Almost all of us pay utility bills, either as an owner or renter. The availability of jobs affects us all, whether or not we are currently employed. To my mind, therefore, Galion is a “we,” not an “it.” The bottom line is that we are in this together.
I am reminded this as we collectively again turn the calendar page to another year. Will 2011 be a good year for local business? Will we see expansion and even new operations come to town? Will the Uptowne continue its rebound this coming year? What will the challenges bring?
Stay turned to GalionLive throughout the year for answers to those questions. And, as is our custom, we’ll be happy to publish your answers as well.
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Comment by RUSSELL HENKEL on January 1, 2011 at 9:32am -
KEEP IT GOING GALION LIVE.....LIKE FINDING A QUARTER IN A PAY PHONE. BEEN READING BUCYRUS PAPER.. MUCH MUCH BETTER THAN GALION PAPER. MY WIFE IS SECETARY TREASURER FOR THE UNITED WAY AND GALION PAPER SPELLED HER LAST NAME WRONG SEVERAL TIMES IN LAST MONDAYs PAPER,THEY WOULD HAVE PROBABLY HAVE RE WRITTEN THE ARTICLE AGAIN. BUT WE DO NOT WANT THE PUBLICITY. AM GOING TO CHANGE MY LAST NAME TO" SNOW", IS THERE ANY WAY THEY COULD GET THAT WRONG?
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Comment by Anthony on December 31, 2010 at 9:16pm -
Keep on doing what you are doing.
The Inquirer has nothing on Galionlive anymore.
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