akaKenSmith.com

Discussing an organization serving a large group of journalists, Jay Rosen recently said that they were “evolving from (what was essentially) a professional club to a community of concern.” (40:25 of Rebooting the News #38) Both versions of the group are probably motivated substantially by a shared concern about the portion of the world they write about (education), but in the second the concern for preserving the group’s authority has been diminished in favor of collaboration. The shared value of their subject matter comes more to the front; self-interest may recede. It’s an ethical distinction that may be easier to make in the era of powerful collaborative web tools. Also, the whole thing seems more relaxing.