Check out the the "above the fold" half of the NY Times yesterday and you'll see something you'll never get from the Internet - nor should you expect to. It's a "picture" in words, type size and photo of what happened yesterday and what it means. Look at the carefully chosen, examined, edited and finally selected-for-press WORDS. Look at the subheads. Each word has been CRAFTED in terms of selection, emphasis, placement, meaning, position etc to convey a statement - to convey meaning. Even WHICH stories are here, above the fold make a statement of emphasis. "Democrats Turn War Into an Ally" - Beautiful.
It's synthesis, selection, prioritization, distillation. It's meaning.
This is not the purpose nor the ability of the Internet. The Internet is the world's greatest directory. If you know what you want...you can search and find it. Unless you want insight and interpretation. Unless you think there just may be some value in "discovering" something you didn't know you were looking for....
As for news, the Internet has to be constantly updating itself - that's what it's for and there is value there. Instead of interpretation we get blurt-ation. The facts unfold more quickly than anywhere unless you want to stay glued to the tube as they follow OJ's white bronco. The Internet news sites are not going to leave the important stories "in place" like the printed Times above becuase the Internet is about the now. The next story comes in and * poof * the other sotries fade real quick (unless you know what you want and use a search engine)
But that constant updating does not give us persepective. It's all served up with equal gravitas - no BIG HEADLINE. No stand-back and take-it-all-in understanding. Sure there are columns and blogs and words on The Internet. But a search engine is not an editor. The Internet is not for browsing, for discovery, for insight and understanding.
Harrumph.
