If all I wanted from my news outlets was just a straight regurgitation of the "facts" from a single source, I would simply peruse sites like PRNewswire and corporate media sites to read press releases.
When I read a story put together by someone claiming to be a journalist or even just a humble blogger, I want some actual honest analysis of what it means and some fact checking. When I got involved in online media several years back, I always tried to provide some of that analysis even when just aggregating stories that originally appeared elsewhere. Unfortunately many online outlets are increasingly getting robbed of a truly unique editorial voice as they grow larger, effectively making them pointless. Much to my chagrin a former employer of mine is among them with a recent story being robbed of all analysis by an editor so that it is now nothing more than a precis of the press release.
So sad.
#badediting
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Post imported by Google+Blog. Created By Daniel Treadwell.
Could not agree more. It's a cowardly editorial approach. Opinion and analysis is what makes Outlet A's coverage more compelling than Outlet B's. Anyone can read a press release and spit it back out. Readers want commentary and context as well. And editors should strive to provide it.