The Danger Of Content Mills

Here is an interesting interview from Media Shift on PBS by Mark Galser on "Content Farms" which mine the internet trying to get high search engine rankings and in the process create lots of bad information to sell product. Often produced by low wage workers in places like India, I've seen these proliferate to the point where they are even generated by computer and they are sickening. Professional journalists worry over their loss of wages due to the dilution of mind share, and complain that the information is un-vetted and potentially dangerous. The take away is that for good journalism you must set the agenda not react to the audience, you must be on the ground at the event, an you must be 'local' to your audience, that is, accessible and part of their community.



I especially like Ari Soglin's Patch.com local journalist model, because it has a place for professional journalists as mobile reporters and editors, as well as the occasional freelancer who specializes on events or issues.