The debate about new media has been going on for some time now, with many arguing that traditional media channels will have to adapt drastically to remain relevant. The conversation usually revolves around weighing up the difference between the immediacy, reader interaction and the possibility of user created content that new media provides, as opposed to the context, analysis and quality of writing offered by professional journalists. Some argue that blogs and other forms of user created content will remain niche activities as there is no way to ensure quality writing.

The recent horrific events in Kenya have added an interesting perspective to this debate, as most of the updates and information coming out of the Kenyan crisis have been through sms’s from people actually experiencing the violence, and from the voices of individual bloggers. The question here is not so much overall in depth analysis or professional writing standards, but rather access to information about events because they are actually being lived. The Internet & Democracy project blog from Harvard states that citizen reports have been essential in Kenya, as a media blackout made blogs the only news source. 

…since... the government instituted a media blackout, blogs have become critical to spreading the latest news. On Tuesday, the blackout was lifted, but … bloggers have been far swifter and more detailed in their reporting about the latest clashes.

In the horrific events in Kenya, first person accounts have been immensely valuable and provided on the ground insight that an overall analysis possibly couldn’t. In addition to the blog reports, as cited in a Bizcommunity article, valuable information has been coming in through cell phone videos and sms’s (only 3.2% of Kenyans have Internet access) that have been published on forums and blogs. (This article has a great list of links to the Kenyan blogs as well). More information from more people has been made accessible to the world through the use of new media and technology. Another great initiative is something called Ushahidi, a Google Maps mash-up that lets people mark the locations of acts of violence and describe them. This context drives home a point that the world is waking up to, blogs and other forms of new media have to be taken seriously.

Proving the value of cell phone communications and blogs here does not, however, necessarily discredit the importance of traditional media. The argument I tend to agree with most in this debate is that new media is not so much a replacement as an addition to the media sphere. The Mail & Gaurdian’s Thought Leader is a good example of how the two can exist together.

Reporters, editors and the press in general still have a huge role to play in spreading news to the world and providing in depth commentary. What the bloggers in Kenya have done, however, is step in and provided news that traditional media forms couldn’t. We can only hope they find small solace in taking one of the few courses of action available to them.