We the Media: Grassroots Journalism By the People, For the People

by Dan Gillmor

" We the Media , has become something of a bible for those who believe the online medium will change journalism for the better." -Financial Times Big Media has lost its monopoly on the news, thanks to the Internet. Now that it's possible to publish in real time to a worldwide audience, a new breed of grassroots journalists are taking the news into their own hands. Armed with laptops, cell phones, and digital cameras, these readers-turned-reporters are transforming the news from a lecture into a conversation. In We the Media , nationally acclaimed newspaper columnist and blogger Dan Gillmor tells the story of this emerging phenomenon and sheds light on this deep shift in how we make--and consume--the news. Gillmor shows how anyone can produce the news, using personal blogs, Internet chat groups, email, and a host of other tools. He sends a wake-up call to newsmakers-politicians, business executives, celebrities-and the marketers and PR flacks who promote them. He explains how to successfully play by the rules of this new era and shift from "control" to "engagement." And he makes a strong case to his fell journalists that, in the face of a plethora of Internet-fueled news vehicles, they must change or become irrelevant. Journalism in the 21st century will be fundamentally different from the Big Media oligarchy that prevails today. We the Media casts light on the future of journalism, and invites us all to be part of it. Dan Gillmor is founder of Grassroots Media Inc., a project aimed at enabling grassroots journalism and expanding its reach. The company's first launch is Bayosphere.com, a site "of, by, and for the San Francisco Bay Area." Dan Gillmor is the founder of the Center for Citizen Media, a project to enable and expand reach of grassroots media. From 1994-2004, Gillmor was a columnist at the San Jose Mercury News , Silicon Valley's daily newspaper, and wrote a weblog for SiliconValley.com. He joined the Mercury News after six years with the Detroit Free Press . Before that, he was with the Kansas City Times and several newspapers in Vermont. He has won or shared in several regional and national journalism awards. Before becoming a journalist he played music professionally for seven years.

Genres: Journalism, Nonfiction, Business, Academics, Activism, Politics, Communication

334 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Narri Subrati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Gillmor’s We the Media

In We the Media, Dan Gillmor discusses the impact of journalism by the people. Technology of today has allowed us to be writers in various ways especially via the powerful Internet. We are able to actively participate in discussion of the news through blogs, forums, chat groups, and email. Gillmor believes in the capability of people to make news today because current technology has encouraged and welcomed our participation. The internet has become a powerful media tool by allowing the transmission of information from people. However, there are also dangers associated with this freedom which he discusses in this book.
Some examples of his concerns are his reference to copyright infringement with peer-to-peer networks, the possible spread of misinformation, public-private concerns, and open source politics. Despite the disadvantages, Gillmor believes that the internet gives everyone a chance to voice their opinions once they have the necessary connection tools.
We the Media was interesting to me because I had never thought of us, the citizens, as “writers” in Gillmor’s terminology. Technology has encouraged innovation and expression in a way that includes the broad public. All participants are able to express themselves via words thus allowing for an active and informed community which also aids in the promotion of democracy.
Gillmor looks at the internet in a realistic way by considering these consequences and the intentions of citizens, journalists, and businesses. His approach is pragmatic in that it considers these political, economic, and social perspectives. Businesses and journalists would seek to benefit from the internet for monetary reasons just as the public seeks to benefit by expression of opinion. The internet serves various purposes and they many are relevant to the values of today.
Gillmor’s book touched on many topics relevant to the issues of today and he continuously focused on the importance of grassroots journalism. Anyone who is seeking to gain an understanding of the benefits of grassroots journalism as well as understand the concerns regarding a public domain should definitely read this book.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Gillmor's "We the Media" starts a conversation about the direction of journalism (in the same way that he claims the news has and must become a conversation instead of a lecture). It covers the technology and history that made citizen journalism possible and then moves on to discuss the different venues and ways in which people report and some of the issues that arise from taking down the gates around journalism. He ends by discussing briefly his view on copyright, which he supports but thinks is abused (hence, this book is copyrighted under creative commons and is free to read online).

Gillmor presents an optimistic view of media in general, and he keeps this attitude even while discussing some of the potential problems. "We’ll be wrestling with these issues for decades," he says, "but I’m confident that the community,with the assistance of professional journalists and others who care, can sort it all out." He truly believes that Big Media and amateurs can work together to bring the most good to society. He also believes that the exposure of truth will eventually benefit everyone.

This was an enjoyable read--and not a difficult one--mainly because of the way Gillmor illustrated his points with anecdotes and specific examples. The downfall of this method is that by being so specific with examples, his book can seem dated and rudimentary at times. Clearly, a lot has happened in media and technology since 2004, but many of the principles Gillmor discusses are still applicable to citizen journalism today. In any case, this book is a great place to start.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very prescient view on the demise of Old Media and the potential of New Media. Gillmor was one of the earliest media pundits to really get it and the sound the alarm. Old media ... newspapers, distribution channels, presses, publishing, circulation, advertisements ... are getting disintermediated and re-created in new technological platforms, reaching out to vaster interactrive audience's. Gillmor tosses off some gems that you takeway. Yesterday's news was a top down lecture. Today's news is a debate. We used to have Pulitzer, Hearst, Ochs. This morphed into the Daily Koz, Huffington Post and the millions of blogs and e-journals. As Gillmor puts it:

"Tomorrow’s news reporting and production will be more of
a conversation, or a seminar. The lines will blur between producers
and consumers, changing the role of both in ways we’re
only beginning to grasp now. The communication network itself
will be a medium for everyone’s voice, not just the few who can
afford to buy multimillion-dollar printing presses, launch satellites,
or win the government’s permission to squat on the
public’s airwaves."

Tabloid journalism is dying. Newsprint is thinner and its content is leaner. Thousands of Iphone toting citizen journalists are getting the jump on seasoned pros in shrinking newsrooms. Twitter has replaced the old ticker tape newswire. Craigslist left the classified sections of newspaper in the dust long ago. The swaggering press baron lording over a vast media empire, shaping public opinion, influencing policy and elections is a dying breed. As Gillmor writes, it changes eveything.

This evolution—from journalism as lecture to journalism as
a conversation or seminar—will force the various communities
of interest to adapt. Everyone, from journalists to the people we
cover to our sources and the former audience, must change their
ways. The alternative is just more of the same.

[Paul Guinnessy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, with some interesting ideas in it, but an overly optimistic viewpoint over how locals will produce media. Relying on one or two individuals to provide high quality news to local residents just won't work, peopple get sick, bored, and won't forget its a hobby. More realistically is that local news could be the only possible solution towards saving newspapers, assuming they can persuade their advertisers that its more effective to rely on them than on google.

My synopsis is actually confirmed by Gillmor's career (in which every startup he's been involved with has had to either re-do its business model or fold. I think he's with academia now).

[Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had potential, but it became out of date from the moment it was published and I often felt quite manipulated by the author. It just wasn't something I enjoyed and solely read it as I had to review it for my university course. Negativity aside mind, I think this book would be a little more interesting if it was re-released with a chapter or two on the twitter age and how it's effected citizen journalism.

[Silvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the fact that I read this on my computer (http://oreilly.com/catalog/wemedia/bo...) affects my rating of the book...but either way, I think it needs to be updated; I was expecting to learn more, but it is a good introduction to "grassroots journalism." I would not recommend it to citizen media geeks because you'll probably find it boring and outdated.

[Armando · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very interesting, I started reading it because it was recomended in a book that I read. I had never read anything about this subject but i was able to understand it, it is very concise and it has great information for people that might be interested in starting a blog or just for a person that wants to stay well informed.

[MacDara Conroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The field Gillmor covers here moves as such a fast pace that this book is already is in danger of being out of date. But it's still a thorough, involving introduction to citizen journalism and the democratisation of the media, which should be enough to convince most doubting hacks as to the long-term merits of the web (and blogging) as a tool for good, quality journalism.

[Josh Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on citizen journalism. Gave me a better perspective on the future of journalism. It's a good read.

[Pascal Lapointe]

Une lecture de base pour quiconque s'interroge sur l'évolution future du journalisme, à l'heure d'Internet. (2005)

[Nicholas Cottrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book I'd desperately like to see updated for the twitter age.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting loo at the way news if presented to mass audiences.

[Cyber Killer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though outdated by a decade, it's still very interesting and educational.

[Angela Randall]

Free to read online here.