It's a little hard to understand everything Oh Yeon-ho is saying about the role of OhMyNews in the transformation of South Korean politics, because he has a strong accent. But the gist is clear: by introducing the new/old concept of "every citizen is a reporter" and creating a Internet-based news site that celebrates c itizen journalism, an authoritarian society and media culture has been turned upside down. (Details on its impact on the 2002 election can be found here.)

He started with about 750 citizen reporters and there are now over 75,000. People are paid for their reporting, but top rate is just abut $20 a piece. Why do they write: for a large audience, a ton of feedback and to change their country. One recent article by a constitutional scholar critiquing an anti-democratic court decision generated $30,000 in tips from readers!

In general, OhMyNews' model differs from traditional New York Times journalism in the following ways, he said:

Old media thinks of itself as a pipe delivering stories to readers; OhMyNews sees itself as a playground for readers.

In old media, "I produce, you consume and leave." In the new model, "we produce, consume and stay."

In old media, feedback is limited. In the new model, readers can write, comment and give money to reporters!

Which one of these would you find more engaging? The question answers itself.

[I had to step out to take a phone call and missed most of the rest of the panel. David Weinberger fills in some of the missing details here.]

Citizens Media | Emergent Democracy | International
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