New media marketer Chris Brogan points out that recent reports of AOL’s plans to massively expand its journalistic staff and output, and concerns that this will have a negative impact on the journalism industry need to be put in perspective.
Publishing and journalism aren’t the same, says Brogan. What AOL is trying to do and what it’s audience wants is different from ‘hard journalism’:
Journalists seek to create compelling information that is helpful and news-worthy.
Publishing seeks to push more product, deliver higher circulation value, and create more value for sponsors/advertisers/money-holders.
Publishers need content creators of some stripe to do what they do. Journalists don’t need publishers, but publishers pay, so that’s a decent place to connect with an audience and be paid.
But never confuse the two.