Citizen journalists, we need you

The new media model needs broader base:

If the residents of North Carolina are to access the information they need to be citizens, we must find a way to foster new and diverse tributaries of news and information to flow into the mainstream media.

Tributaries include small, start-up news operations, hyperlocal papers, blogs and nonprofits that produce information as part of their mission. Anyone who commits acts of journalism can contribute to the flow of high-quality information.

I love that "acts of journalism" thing. You are what you do, right?

Here are some more observations:

Curiosity and verification are the core tenets of journalistic thinking, and we need to find a way to hone those instincts among all North Carolinians. At the very least, they'll become better consumers of news, and there's a chance that some might even become better producers of news. Professional reporters need to organize their audience in order to get the job done.

That first sentence is the key. How many times have you seen or heard something that tickled that curiosity, and gave you the feeling there was much more going on, and that it deserved some scrutiny? Most folks shrug it off and try to ignore that itch, but what they don't understand is: That is your brain telling you it is not satisfied with the information provided, and that you need to give it more.

Free, fair and factual public discourse is losing ground. If we want the media to hold powerful people accountable, shine light in dark places and give voice to the voiceless, we need to build an ecosystem in which a diversity of journalistic species can survive.