The poetry of media

I can't improve on the way Raleigh's DME Dan Barkin introduced his musings about how technology has changed and empowered media. Here is a sample of what he said in a longer post at the N&O's editor blog:

I just saw Matt Ehlers in the office. He's been at the fair, writing away on his fair blog. Matt's a reporter in our Features department, and he has a gift for seeing the poetry in life. You can read his blog at http://blogs.newsobserver.com/fair2006/. Here's what he wrote yesterday:

The fair at night is dark and bright, tired carnies and hands held tight.
It's sleeping babies and teenage flirts, country music and airbrushed shirts.
It's glow sticks, magic tricks and candied apples blue.
The fair at night is dark and bright, the fools come out, it's true.

He posted it around 10:44 p.m. Wednesday night. I think if Robert Frost took a run at a State Fair poem, this is how it would come out. Except that Frost didn't post photos and video, which is what Matt is doing as well.

Think about the effort Dan's describing: an energetic, 24/7 kind of assignment aimed at readers' real-world experiences, taking advantage of all the tools in the toolbox. There are video clips, still photos, links -- and the continuing, undiminished power of strong narrative text.

You might also enjoy Dan's reflections on his own journey from manual typewriter to the brave new world. Enjoy.

–Howard Weaver