Somewhere in the archives of the (sadly) homeless Newseum in Washington D.C., or in the files of the Freedom Forum is an old calendar featuring inspirational quotations from various journalists and others celebrating freedom of speech and the press.
I think the calendar covered only one year and I'm sorry to say I don't know which one. But I do know that I was quoted on July 23rd of that calendar and that the chosen quote came from a speech I'd given at a press event:
"Journalists used to be responsible for the final word. Now we're responsible for the first word."
This statement grew out of my experiences in the early days of the Web in the 1990s, when I worked at Salon and Wired Digital. The point I was trying to make was that traditionally journalists assumed they were more or less in charge of determining the "truth" about whatever topic we tackled. That equated to the last word.
But with the dawn of interactive media, featuring email, comments, blogs and social networks, it was clear that our role was shifting, to more of the conveners of conversations, not the closers.
That is very much what I try to do here at Facebook, starting conversations with my daily essays, which focus mainly on my memories of a half century-plus in journalism, along with personal stories and current updates.
Recently I focused on the early days of Salon and HotWired to convene an effort to preserve the history of these important content companies. HotWired is no longer with us, but its legacy lives on in multiple ways -- banner ads, blogs, podcasts, online video, web designs and one ongoing service, Wired News. And a slew of talented makers who drifted away on the wind.
Salon, thankfully, still publishes.
But when I published my memories of these two companies, I didn't want anyone to get the impression that I felt I was in sole possession of the "truth" of these matters.
My memories are mine alone, and no doubt shaped by my personality and the unique roles I played at that time. Many of the comments from others that appeared with my essays clarify or enhance my version of what happened, and that is exactly what I'd hoped would happen.
Historians are accustomed to gathering multiple sources for their historiographies. That is what anyone who wishes to document what happened at the dawn of the web should do with this stuff. Mine is meant to be only one of many voices -- collectively we share the history of what happened and the conversation should involve everyone.
***
Consider this story:
* Saving Local News By Keeping It Free -- Over the past 20 years, local newspapers have been disappearing at such a rate that today there are at least 1,800 news “deserts” with no local news at all. In the midst of this unprecedented news crisis, many local news outlets are turning to a solution of the last resort — paywalls — charging for their content. (AP)
This is an update on the Local News Network (LNN), headquartered in Durango, Colorado, a startup. (I serve on the board of advisors.) It is one of various promising efforts to rejuvenate news at the local level, where the decline of newspapers is most severe.
And that is especially true in the "news deserts" of small towns and rural parts of the country. But if people on the coasts and big cities think they don't have a stake in this crisis, think again.
What happens when there is no professional news outlet in a town? Often, this creates a breeding ground for conspiracy theorists who propagate preposterous fantasies like the 2020 election was "stolen" or Covid was a plot by the Chinese government, or vaccines cause autism in children.
None of these theories are correct but in absence of ethical journalists to inform people, ignorance thrives. It's the same syndrome that brought us Donald Trump, the most dangerous and authoritarian president in U.S. history.
As more and more facts emerge from his time in office, it is clear that he intended to establish one-man rule to replace our democracy, which so many of our patriotic troops have spilled blood to protect.
I have no doubt that many sincere people, good people, fell for Trump's lies and demagoguery; but many of them might not have had they had access to accurate information from news sources they trusted.
Local news outlets like those part of LNN specialize in building that trust in their communities. And we need to support them because in the end, all news is local.
THE (OTHER) HEADLINES:
* Driven by covid deaths, U.S. life expectancy dropped by 1.5 years in 2020 -- The decline, which is the largest seen in a single year since World War II, reflects the pandemic’s sustained toll on Americans, particularly the disproportionate impact of covid-19 on communities of color. (WP)
* Coexisting With the Coronavirus -- COVID-19 is likely to become an endemic illness. How will our immune systems resist it? (New Yorker)
* Warning signs for global recovery as Delta dims outlook (Reuters)
* ‘There Will Be Breakthrough Cases,’ Psaki Says (AP)
* The more transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus now makes up about 83% of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S., with the majority of deaths occurring in unvaccinated people, the CDC director said. Deaths from the virus are also rising, with an average of 239 per day over the last week. [HuffPost]
* Delta Variant Isn’t Expected to Dent Robust U.S. Recovery (WSJ)
* As Virus Resurges, G.O.P. Lawmakers Allow Vaccine Skepticism to Flourish (NYT)
* Growing number of Republican lawmakers urge vaccinations amid delta variant’s surge (WP)
* U.S. extends travel curbs at Canada, Mexico land borders through Aug. 21 (Reuters)
* Havana Syndrome Task Force to be Led by a Veteran of Hunt for Bin Laden --The choice of the Central Intelligence Agency officer is part of what officials describe as a quickening effort to determine the source of the apparent attacks, which has proven elusive. (WSJ)
* Tom Barrack, a longtime friend of former President Trump and the chair of Trump’s inaugural committee, secretly worked for the government of the United Arab Emirates for more than a year as he helped shape Trump’s campaign and presidency, according to a Justice Department indictment. The charge further underscores the staggering degree of misconduct in Trump's inner circle. [HuffPost]
* Off-duty Drug Enforcement Administration agent Mark Sami Ibrahim posed for photographs in which he flashed his badge and firearm outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, according to a court filing. He told investigators after the insurrection that he was there to help a friend who had been asked to document the event for the FBI, but the friend denied it and said Ibrahim concocted the false story to "cover his ass." [AP]
* Personal threats, election lies and punishing new laws rattle election officials, raising fears of a mass exodus (CNN)
* As California’s fire season begins to cough up nasty, gray air — all too familiar over the past few years — scientists are learning that wildfire smoke may be a lot more harmful than previously thought, even for those living far from the flames. (SF Chronicle Bay Briefing)
* A Drought So Dire That a Utah Town Pulled the Plug on Growth -- Groundwater and streams vital to both farmers and cities are drying up in the West, challenging the future of development. (NYT)
* Heat waves are dangerous. Isolation and inequality make them deadly. (WP)
* As California’s fire season begins to cough up nasty, gray air — all too familiar over the past few years — scientists are learning that wildfire smoke may be a lot more harmful than previously thought, even for those living far from the flames. (SF Chronicle)
* Severe floods inundate parts of central China (WP)
* Lessons from the Fight for the Grand Canyon -- We once saved national landmarks for their beauty. Now it's for survival too. (New Yorker)
* 50-year war on drugs imprisoned millions of Black Americans (AP)
* How an Unproven Alzheimer’s Drug Got Approved (NYT)
* The majority of Americans lack a college degree. Why do so many employers require one? (WP)
* 8 Hours a Day, 5 Days a Week Is Not Working for Us -- The goal is “one reasonable job per person,” not “two for one and half for another.” (NYT)
* U.S. Stocks Rise to Extend Rebound (WSJ)
* Argo AI, Ford and Lyft to launch self-driving ride-hail service in Miami and Austin (Reuters)
* Russia and China are trying to control the Internet — even as they censor it (WP)
* Biden Has Angered China, and Beijing Is Pushing Back (NYT)
* SoftBank's robotics ambitions short circuit as Pepper loses power (Reuters)
* Byju’s is storming into the U.S. kids education market with the $500
million acquisition of Epic, a digital reading platform for children.
Their common mission is to make education more personal, interactive,
and fun for children. (Venture Beat)
* Why There Are Few Openly Gay Athletes In Men's Professional Sports (NPR)
* On England’s Canals, Boaters Embrace the Peace and Pace of a Floating Life -- More people are calling England’s canals — and the narrow boats used to navigate them — home as remote work options in the pandemic’s wake make a mobile lifestyle more possible. (NYT)
* Fully Vaccinated but Anxious About a Return to Normal Life? You May Have ‘Cave Syndrome’ (WSJ)
* 2 Australian States Say Their Sharks Will No Longer 'Attack.' They Will Only 'Bite' (NPR)
* NASA Says New Moon Mission Unlikely Since Neil Armstrong Only Person Who Knew How To Get There (The Onion)
***
REPRINT:
* So you want to investigate your own past. How to begin? David Weir on memoir writing. (OLLI/UC Berkeley)
***
Happy Birthday Scamp! May you have a wonderful day!
***
"Searching"
Looking? round for the warmth of the light
There was fog on the road
So I guess no one saw me arriving
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