Developing a World Wide News Source

John Markoff holds a distinct yet strangely quiet place in the history of journalism. Nearly sixteen years ago he used the Arpanet, a Pentagon-funded network that preceded the Internet, to learn about the data being exchanged among scientists in Silicon Valley. His ingenuity led to more than a good news scoop; he pioneered a new era in electronic journalism in which reporters can use the resources provided online for purposes of research and investigation, opening a large avenue of information (Forum Magazine, May 1994).

The key word here is information - in this age, the content of news is the most valuable commodity of cyberspace. Right now the World Wide Web gives the Internet-literate public a technological foundation by which linkages can be made to connect resources for users anywhere in the world. I propose that the Web can be used to create what I call a World Wide News Source - a site where journalists may share information and research, and the reading public gains greater access to global news.

The development of a World Wide News Source (WWNS) is not a shockingly original idea. What is new is its sheer comprehensiveness, as it combines the elements of present online journalism with the capabilities of newsgroups and the Web. The media lab at MIT is currently working on prototype models of such a system, and news services such as Clari have behaved much like a news wire.

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