Right now, the profession of journalism is definitely in need of creativity and vision that can carry us into — and allow us to influence — the future of media.
I have many friends who are artists of one kind of another, and they all tell me that creativity thrives on constraints. When people are compelled to deal with a limited set of options, they get far more creative than when they face a blank page of infinite possibilities.
So let’s try a thought experiment: What if social media (Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Google Earth, etc.) were the only tool you could use to deliver the benefits of journalism to your community? You could still gather information however you choose (through in-person interviews, phone, Web, archive research, etc. — even social media), but you could only deliver your work via social media.
How would you do it?
And yes, you could provide links in your social media journalism — but not links to your own stories online, because in this thought experiment you cannot publish packaged stories in any media.
Please share your ideas in the comments below. Don’t worry if you don’t have a perfect, complete answer that would replace or surpass traditional journalism. Creativity is about exploration, not perfection.
Of course, I’m expecting a fair amount of reflexive snark and “it can’t be done” defeatism in response to this post. That’s sadly inevitable, given the culture of journalism. But I do think there’s ample room for creativity on this front.
So if you’re inclined toward creativity about how journalists can use social media, ignore those cynics. Being creative is far more fun and rewarding — and journalists need to have more fun.
