If this is the ‘professional’ news version…then how close to reality are the blogs and other user-generated content (UGC) in reporting the news?

Seriously, what do you think really happened at that event? The conflicting stories make it impossible to tell. In fact, I guessed wrong. To find ‘the truth,’ read the NYT transcript. It’ll take 5-10 minutes, but is a very entertaining way to learn something important (IMO).

In the referenced post, Larry Cheng of Fidelity Ventures presents a fascinating look at modern journalism.

In the shadow of Mr. Cronkite’s death, we find ourselves in an American culture that has seemingly lost interest in facts – they are just not entertaining enough.

Our news providers, therefore, are forced to compete on commentary and/or slant. In this race, unshackled by any journalistic constraints, UCG holds a distinct advantage.

So how much can we blame the pros for slanting things, just a bit?

Note: I’m not blaming anybody – just stating the facts…