From the desk of Garry Baverstock AM
Traditional media:
Today’s traditional media systems seem to love focusing on the negatives to sell advertising which is really crazy, because as everyone knows it is Social Media that delivers. Nobody cares about what is printed in the newspaper any more because it is a conga line of violence, drug taking and car accidents on the TV news, especially young people! Who can blame them?
‘Old Fogies’
I guess there are still too many ‘old fogies’ who determine the outcomes of “news” in the print media especially. When they pass on maybe it will change as well as new technological systems evolve to distribute real news. Unfortunately, the planet cannot wait around so progress will just have to happen without them.
Respect
I got a lot more respect from the media in the 1980s than I ever do these days. Even though I have a lot more experience, expertise and ‘responsible capital’ available to make a difference than I did then, it doesn’t seem to be of any interest. Any real stories that make a positive impact on our society and communities clearly are ignored mainly. It is disappointing because I consider that I and many of my aligned professionals, still have much to offer society as architects, scientists and innovators. I am deliberately not being precious here either. Most people I discuss this with agree there is a distinct race to the bottom in the quality of journalism.
Traditional Media, is it Dead?
What the traditional remnants fail to recognize is that the 20th century media construct is dead. Only innovation and focus on real stories will make a difference. The technique of ‘ambulance-chasing’ is really outdated and serves little purpose in the modern world. The positive, progressive public interest stories need a come back. Surely a journalist’s ethics should hold sway over negativity and 19th and 20th century consciousness?
Real Solutions Focus to Climate Change
Focusing on positive solutions for the big challenges facing Human Kind seems escape them. At this time it is obvious to me is what people want and need to hear. When a multi million dollar initiative like the Swanbourne Village Trust project, with new recognized inventions of technologies like our ‘MassWall’, ‘SolaTank’ and ‘MassLinc’ associated with the ‘Ilios’ project should be reported and demonstrate gratitude that the intellectual and capital investment was way beyond the norm. Especially important is that if widely adopted, there is a combined potential to lower emissions by 10% by 2050 and 27% by the end of this century alone.
Despite notifying them of these features it seems irrelevant to reporters and editors.
The Advertorial Scourge
They obviously want to sell advertorial which I refuse to do on ethical grounds. Conversely a question arise form this push by the media, why would anyone advertise in the news media when they simply do not have the technical expertise to report properly on new emerging innovations anyway? It seems more important to be influenced existing industry lobby groups than report credible new stories. No wonder they do not attract new sources of advertising. It is a consequence of their lack of enthusiasm or ability to see real stories, creating new business, and publish in an independent manner.
The Rule of Negative Stories
Maybe owners and editors are more interested in the latest meth addict attack or the car accident. They do seem rather more interested to neutralize any positive stories with ‘equal weight’ from skeptics, racists, luddites and ignorant self appointed experts. I guess journalists and editors now don’t actually know how to source the truth that is part of the problem. It could be in fact part of the solution to their dilemma of fading relevance.
Sustainable Future?
Maybe then our economy will advance in a sustainable fashion and traditional journalistic values and ethics will survive somehow, most probably in a completely new format?
For more information on “Illios” please see http://swanbournevillagetrust.com/
