Clay Shirky Gets It (Mostly) Right

Clay Shirky has the best analysis of the current newspaper situation I've seen in a long time. I've covered parts of it here, but never in the breadth and depth Shirky does.

Shirky argues that what we need is not newspapers but journalism and that the web and other new media will find a way to feed that need for journalism. Newspapers as they exist today, however, are toast.

Shirky also notes that such revolutionary transitions, like the introduction of the printing press in the 16th century are inherently chaotic. There's going to be a period of many different competing models where important parts of the job of journalism aren't going to be done.

Anyway. Read the whole thing.
--RC