It's Not About the Technology

I have to credit Alex at NeatORama for inspiring this post. He made such a great point in describing Alfred Sirleaf (the guy in front of the chalkboard) as an "analog blogger", that I was inspired to riff on it today.

Mr. Sirleaf's chalkboard is a major news source in Monrovia, Liberia. In this war-ravaged country, he scans newspapers, selects the top issues and news and writes it on a large chalkboard on one of his city's major (relatively speaking) thoroughfares. He receives "breaking" news from friends via text message. He even developed a collection of symbols to display to help the illiterate (major issue in Liberia) understand what is happening. His chalkboards are widely-read to the point that local leaders have on occasion taken offense at his editorials and imprisoned him.

As the New York Times puts it:

Mr. Sirleaf is something of an information evangelist, fervent in his belief that a well-informed citizenry is the key to the rebirth of his homeland, ravaged by 14 years of civil war. As the nation slowly comes back from the brink of annihilation, he said, he wants to make sure every Liberian can keep up with the news and play a part in the country’s young democratic government.

That reads to me as true journalist. As NeatORama said, he's essentially a blogger. I'll take it one step further... Mr. Sirleaf is a master of social media. His chalkboard (actually, his whole collection of hut, chalkboards, signs, and other paraphernalia) fit the bill.

Someone in the area should start taking a picture of the chalkboard on a daily basis and posting it as a blog. Think of it... technology is the last piece. Everything else is already in place.

Those decrying the closing of newspapers could take a lesson here. Journalism is a profession, not a technology. You do your work and find a means of getting the story to the right audience. Doesn't matter if you are delivering via paper, radio, television, internet, telegraph, smoke signals, or even town crier. Ask Mr Sirleaf.