Can citizens journalism resuscitate the media?

Danny Schechter in MediaChannel.org: Can Citizens' Journalism Resuscitate the Media? Excerpt:

A solution may be right in front of our eyes that only a few see. Perhaps we have to look for answers down on main street, not up on Wall Street. Popular dissatisfaction with the media -- estimated at 70% in some surveys that find similar disaffection inside the media -- suggests that its time to go in another direction.

I can sum it up in one sentence:

Democratize the media by allowing citizens to be more than media consumers.

It's called "citizen journalism, and it's the NBT (Next Big Thing.) Rather than think of audiences as passive consumers, activate them as participants. Replace an elite top-down model with a more populist bottom-up approach. Think this is idealistic or impossible? Think again.

Look at the growth of talk radio, and the proliferation of websites including search engines like Google that virtually replace libraries, There's the spread of the "be the media" movement led by IndyMedia. There's been the meteoric growth of the blogosphere and the emergence of thousands of video activists making programs for in public access or showcasing films and documentaries at festivals worldwide. Scholars and writers are contributing to first-rate publishing projects like the Wikipedia. Citizens' media watches are springing up. ...

Danny and I sing from the same songbook.