Joe R. Howry bringt es auf den Punkt:

It has taken me a while to really understand this dynamic. Even now, I will, on occasion, become defensive and argumentative with people. I hate when I do that. I have to keep reminding myself that I need to be a better listener. When I am a good listener, what ensues is a meaningful conversation from which I invariably learn a great deal.

It is critical for all of us at The Star to become better listeners. It is more than a simple courtesy because our readers have taken valuable time to talk to us. That is important, but I have become convinced that our future success depends on our ability to forge a new kind of relationship with our readers.

I think most people, excluding far too many journalists, would agree that the model of the all-knowing, all-seeing media dispensing information as if it came directly from the heavens has about as much traction today as bald tires on ice. Through our own missteps and encouraged by others with their own agendas, the media, including newspapers, are no longer trusted. In those ubiquitous polls that gauge public trust, journalists find themselves competing for the bottom rung with politicians, used-car salesmen and lawyers.

We got to this position through our own ignorance, arrogance and stubbornness. We failed to see that our audiences were demanding more and better from us. We were arrogant in thinking that our audiences would not see us as anything less than noble, and we have been absolutely pigheaded in our willingness to do anything about it.

But, as they say, the times are a changin'. At newspapers across the country, there are fledgling efforts to re-engage with readers. Many newspapers have launched citizen journalism programs in which readers are invited to contribute content. Much of the content that is being solicited is the kind newspapers struggle to get or simply ignore. ( ...)

Denn vollständigen Text gibts beim Ventura Country Star zu lesen: Becoming a better listener - Efforts at citizen participation help media grow

[Via Ventura Country Star ]