When I sit down to write for the Advocate every week, I gather all of
my information into a numbered folder, a system that started with my first
column in July 2008.
This week I have the satisfaction of hitting a milestone, with a
folder labeled “Week 500”. The series includes one (or sometimes two) columns
per week, hundreds of news stories, and a whack of features, photos and
editorials.
The first column was called Moonlighting for Gas Money. I’ve enjoyed
the freedom of picking my own topics and putting a personal twist on local
news. I’ve been like one of those pesky horseflies that just keeps buzzing
around.
It has been like writing three or four essays a week, for an English
course that never ends. That can be challenging, but it’s way more fun than
being the editor – good riddance to that job.
In case you missed an article, or are having a hard time falling
asleep, the columns and major news stories are available on my blog,
erininsight.blogspot.com. There are no comments from readers.
The blog is useful for checking an older story or reading up on an
issue, maybe prior to the October municipal election.
Not only can you search for key words or phrases, but there is a
topic index – for example, 57 stories on education, 61 on farming, 105 on
history, 11 on suicide, 18 on theatre, and (the grand-daddy) 112 on sewers.
Warning: Do not attempt to read all the sewer articles in one day.
The fumes could be hazardous.
I’m not sure if readers are actually any better off as a result of
all my scribbling, but I know for sure that anyone who cares about Erin’s
public affairs certainly has had the opportunity to be well-informed.
The key bits in the previous sentence are “anyone who cares” and
“public affairs”. People are often so overloaded with information from the
internet and other media that they are forced to retreat into not caring about
pubic business. Jobs and family needs come first, and can consume all of your
energy.
For those with some attention to spare, contact with the outside
world often includes Facebook, Twitter and a variety of platforms that engage
people on topics of their choice. That can be good, but there are dangers.
First of all, you get inundated with crap you don’t want. Second,
spammers and programmers are always trying to invade your devices, scooping up
private information and ensuring that you receive ads and “news” that match your
interests.
If you only engage with people who are almost the same as you, and
only receive news that simply entertains you or reinforces your existing
attitudes, how will you ever develop an understanding your society or other
cultures?
Then there are the bots, computer programs that control a robotic virtual
character, imitating human behaviour on the web. I am persistent, but I am not
one of those.
Bots can analyze information and carry out tasks much faster than a
human brain. They can answer questions, chat with you, teach you, search for
information such as on-line bargains and even make comments on news stories.
Bots can be used for cheating at video games, conducting attacks on
major networks, or the rapid spreading of news that may be “fake” or slanted to
promote a political cause. They could even help steal an election.
Traditional news sources, on the other hand, are good for democracy.
Truthful news and diversity of opinion (whether on-paper, on-air or on-line) help
bind communities together.
Old-fashioned journalists may not be totally unbiased, but at least
they apply a filter to the flow of information that guards against manipulators
and upholds the public interest.
