Newswire and the Renewal of News

Newswire is an internet organization that has proposed a patent for intellectual property rights. Newswire is not just a traditional news outlet. With the advent of information technology, the internet, and the changing face of reporting, such as blogs and social networking, even the mainstream media is evolving. The evolution of mainstream media meets resistance every day, as it is a seemingly defensive and lucrative industry. Those with position in the mainstream media doubtlessly have their reasons for resisting practical and realistic change.

The potential benefits of an organization like Newswire are many. First, it keeps reporting in the hands of the people, not just journalists who are already established in the mainstream media. Second, it provides a platform for proposals, the process of research and information-gathering, as well as distribution of indendent journalism through a legitimate, ethical system. Third, it functions as a hybrid of traditionally profitable search engines, such as Google, with the relatively newer social networking sites, such as Facebook or Twitter.

Newswire is seeking a patent to protect its intellectual property rights. That is to say, it is attempting to protect itself legally with a patent so that other organizations can neither copy nor misuse its methods and process of getting more independent journalists published and compensated for their work. This service would utilize the near exponential growth of the burgeoning social networking sites with the more traditional profit-making strategies of successful internet search engines.

Instead of mainstream media cycling the same stories over and over with little or unpredictable coverage of local news, for example, an organization like Newswire could keep journalism in the hands of the people by providing a framework for them to sift through Press Releases or ideas for articles, to interview contacts for the articles, to communicate with paying-clients of Newswire, to submit their work, and to see it published. In addition, independent journalists will see their names cited on the Newswire site and receive payment for their work.

An organization such as Newswire is different from the mainstream media in that most of the news distributed today comes from the same sources. In other words, even different television stations, for example, repetitively run the same stories over and over regardless of their importance in people's lives. By increasing the number of independent journalists as well as relying on their particular locations and concerns, news will become more diverse, more relevant to the concerns of citizens, and possibly more reflective of their thoughts regarding all manner of issues than the mainstream media's current portrayals of public interest and sentiment.

Newswire is not totally different from traditional news outlets. Still, there will be news at a constant rate. It is possible that the content, number, and depth of stories will grow. Also, it will be a profitable enterprise, as news has always been since it began to be printed on paper. The internet has already changed the face of news for the better in that it is more environmentally friendly. Newswire will be a profitable venture if its organizing members can harness human resources around the world and captivate the imaginations of the public. Like any organization, Newswire will have to gain the trust of its consumers and to build relationships with them through hard work, clarity, relevance, and loyalty.

Newswire, as an online organization, may re-empower people and reclaim the responsibility of news reporting by re-directing its creation to those people who consume it in the first place. By combining profit-making measures of search engines, such as Google, with social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, an organization such as Newswire will continue to generate profit by offering a service, connecting news requests with capable, qualified journalists, assisting those journalists with passes, interviews, and contact information, as well as compensating them for the contractual labor they perform.

The impact an organization like Newswire can have on mainstream news is both promising and inevitable. First, the internet and information technology are changing the face of most industries, whether health care, government, private enterprise, education, or the arts and entertainment. This is an undeniable fact, and it will continue to affect these industries as innovative software designers refine and craft their products. Media distribution is no different in this respect. It already utilizes the internet and information technology to an extent. Where it mounts some resistance is to what extent the internet and information technology affect its industry.

Basically, the mainstream media has a financial incentive in protecting its current, relatively exclusive system, although using IT tools help its functioning and profitability. As any corporate entity, mainstream media outlets strategize and plan to achieve and to protect its interests; however, it is possible that the mainstream media has forgotten its philosophical purpose when it comes to newsmaking. News is about informing the public, making people aware of important issues, challenging them to respond creatively, and accurately documenting the procession of human history. News is about information and the truth more than it is about making money, and Newswire may amend some of the unfortunate turns the mainstream media has made.

Essentially, Newswire would tap into creative human resources scattered around the globe, connect them with clients, guide them through their work, consolidate an otherwise disparate population of independent journalists, organize the movement of money, and most importantly, let the public inform itself, within limits, about issues important to people everywhere.