What was that acronym again?

For the same reason we turned to them some odd 30 years ago, is the same reason we turn to them now and will continue to in the future. 'Big Media' outlets may arguably have lost some of their audience but their influence and presence is still a much needed entity in the media world. Sure a new blog is created every two seconds but there are some things that are still better left to the 'professionals'. Where I see the potential problem brewing is in our (sometimes) common belief that what you hear from the media must be true. Granted, several networks have learned to cross-check references due to some stumbles along the way but if this notion was applied the same way to the Internet and its online audience there would be many more "false truths" in our conversation circles. The rise of blogging and online consumer participation may have given rise to a new type of real democratic community but of course for every person who knows a thing or two is another who thinks he knows a thing or two but probably doesn't. All the more reason why most of the time, when it comes to the information landscape, it's better to leave it to the professionals! It may not seem like it now when we're reveling in our new online universe but most of the folks employed by the 'Big Media' outlets usually know important details like the right questions to ask and the right way to convey the info to the audience. Blogging and participating in the online consumer forum may be useful and done out of passion but it's also done with a certain point of view and it's always subjective. Like in the case of Wikipedia, users lean toward democratic involvement but sometimes trusting the "free encyclopedia anyone can edit" may not be the best information to go by and this is why 'Big Media' outlets will never be forced into extinction. This is not to say that they should not meet the needs of their audience. Networks like CTV and CNN have already been making effort to involve the online world in the current information landscape through polls, forums and most importantly, frequently updated web pages. Unless MySpace starts hiring journalists and videographers, these outlets are not going anywhere yet.