We all need a filter

I had an actual face-to-face conversation with one of my Facebook friends at a recent Tech Talk breakfast hosted by the Association for Women Journalists in Chicago. The next day she wrote on my Facebook wall: "NPR is talking about Obama's relationship with the media and use of it to speak directly to public and respond to the public. They must have read your mind."

On the surface, it sure sounds great. How could it be bad for the president of the United States and/or other politicians to use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to get their messages out to the American people?

But with journalists trying to figure out their place in the world of new media, there's no good filter. It's pretty tough, if not impossible, for reporters to fight the Obama PR and marketing machine. With all that direct contact with the public, he doesn't have to be accountable to the press or answer any media questions--really. I think whether you like the president or not (and I do like him), that kind of power is a bad thing. A dangerous thing.

Having said that, I realize it could very well be journalists' own fault (and I lump myself in that group) for not being prepared to handle this new environment. That's why discussions about the role of technology in our jobs are so important right now. Journalists especially need to figure things out--and fast.