Fresh news doesn't pay the bills

Sydney H. Schanberg, writing in The Village Voice, claims that something he calls "fresh news" is what "keeps citizens feeling connected to the decisions and events that alter their lives". And that blogs won't be able to provide it. Oh, really?
When the London underground was bombed it was videobloggers who gave us the first pictures because they and not the newspapers who were there. Bloggers give us the real stuff, direct from the scene. Print and television news outlets are increasingly controlled by large media conglomerates. The news increasingly reflects corporate agendas. The phenomenon is especially visible in TV news channels like CNN and Fox. In place of investigative reporting they give us powder puff portraits of business "leaders" whose companies advertise with them. In place of honest reviews they deliver plugs for movies and TV shows made by production companies owned by their parent corporation.

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