Analysis 2: Aggregation dishes out a new ebb and flow for journalists

Aggregation dishes out a new ebb and flow for journalists

In her office, Arianna Huffington illustrates how aggregation can be a powerful journalism tool.

AOL solidified that aggregation is big business with its purchase of the Huffington Post in 2011, an evolutionary step in some journalists’ eyes toward future news reporting.

Upon the $315 million deal, AOL bought one of the biggest aggregates in the business, which consolidates other journalists’ original news reporting into an article by slapping on a byline and calling it a Huffington Post article. But with such a major price tag, it’s obvious that aggregation is going places original reporting could not.

"The acquisition of The Huffington Post will create a next-generation American media company with global reach that combines content, community, and social experiences for consumers," said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of AOL. "Together, our companies will embrace the digital future and become a digital destination that delivers unmatched experiences for both consumers and advertisers."

As Armstrong suggested, The Huffington Post is a commonplace for news coverage to connect and be dished out to readers like never before. And in terms of media convergence, it’s about time aggregation takes a spot on center stage. Why should journalists report and collect information the same way journalists in 1920 did? Journalism is one medium that has not caught on the technological evolution, mainly because conservative journalism enthusiasts are headstrong for original reporting.

AOL CEO, Tim Armstrong, and Arianna Huffington sign a $315 million deal in 2011. 

The art of journalism is that a story is heard, a reporter goes to the scene and collects his or her own quotes and information to be written into a 500 word article with the prestige that it is entirely his or her own work. But in a world where time is money, and technological convergence happens in all other forms of media, aggregation is a journalist’s sidekick. What if the quote they obtained was bias, or the photo wasn’t showing the whole story? What if the reporter couldn’t obtain all the information he or she needed to write a full article? In turn the answer is that the readers would suffer.

What AOL is doing is simply allowing aggregation to take a seat at the top of the journalism ladder. A Huffington Post writer will research a topic on the Internet and choose which quotes best depict the story, the photo that shows the whole scene, quotes that match both sides and give the readers an unbiased look at a story.  Aggregation helps the writer give the public a better news experience.

            "By uniting AOL and The Huffington Post, we are creating one of the largest destinations for smart content and community on the Internet,” said Arianna Huffington. “And we intend to keep making it better and better."

For more information on this topic go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/magazine/mag-13lede-t.html