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OK, so there was a report published today (article on BBC) that stated that the information that is reported on sites like Digg and Reddit place a different spin on the news when compared to main stream media.

The report seems to conclude that when people edit the news, then it looks at many more different items than the main stream media; it also suggests that the main stream media re-hash the same stories approaching them from different angles each time.

I can’t help but think though, that this is only the case because people are still consuming the main stream media, and therefore the only thing to report are the small details, and the small news items, that the main stream doesn’t cover already.

Imagine this: In ten years time, the main stream media has vanished. It’s become obselete because of a move to the “citizen news” that the article talks about (incidentally, the report does not state that this is the case, or that this is going to happen. This is just a hypothetical situation). You now have to spend your time drawing all the new sources, all of the information, to stay informed of the “main stories” that are covered by the present main stream media. You therefore have no extra time to find all the little bits that everyone produced before.

Therefore, you can almost conclude that “citizen news” is different because it has to be. If the main stream media cover the bulk of the news, what else is left to cover? Answer: The other bits. But take the main stream media away, and you lose touch with either the bulk or the other bits.