by Bill Densmore, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (University of Missouri School of Journalism)
“From Paper to Persona: Managing Privacy and Information Overload; Sustaining Journalism in an Attention Age,” explains how a new public-benefit collaboration could help slow the shrinking of American journalism.
Because of Internet technology, mass-market advertising and the news have come unglued. For the public, information is accessible, but not always trustworthy. Because it is abundant, it’s value varies, because it takes more of our time and attention to make sense of it. In an Attention Age, intrusive marketing technologies can compromise privacy.
News organizations need new revenues to improve journalism’s service to participatory democracy. They might provide a new service to the public besides selling ads and stories. Managing the privacy and information preferences of individuals is one such opportunity.
Using identity technology could allow publishers to become trusted stewards and curators of a reader’s attributes, information preferences and privacy. Other technology could account for payment and access to information at multiple, independent web-wide sources. As a result, publishers could make money offering subscription or per-item access to information shared across a large network of premium sources, personalized for individual readers.
Hat tip: Bill Densmore
