Media Reading: The resource public

Journalist and correspondent Peter Sennhauser has initiated a short series on the blog Medienlese that asks what distinguishes blogging from journalism. In his second essay, he focuses on the topic of publicity. And this is where he identifies the difference between professionals from the information industry and the majority of bloggers: "In their knowledge of the nature and experience of dealing with 'the public'". This is because - according to a common misunderstanding - it does not confer power, but rather transfers little-known facts, knowledge, but also personal opinions and interpretations into a very unstable aggregate state that can no longer be controlled. Media people know this and that their gatekeeper function also entails responsibility. As a result of the softening of decision-making - what is and is not left to the public - through the internet and mainstream media, everything that happens is increasingly becoming public because someone is blogging about it. Sennhauser therefore argues for responsible use of the public sphere as a resource, so as not to level the ground for rampant mistrust and increasing regulatory efforts. Read and comment here: .