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The success of social media is progressively overpowering the failures. Revolutions are attributed to tools like Facebook and Twitter, enabling users to actively engage and unite. The question has increasingly become whether or not these tools are actually responsible for the revolutions that have taken place in areas throughout the Middle East.

In the days leading up to Mubarak’s fall, Al Jazeera became the prominent news outlet for the world. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Al Jazeera for its coverage, pointing out that they are reporting “real news.” Al Jazeera has undoubtedly gained international clout and with the increasing momentum is branching out into new territories. Al Jazeera’s coverage of the revolutions in the Middle East, particularly in Egypt, was unlike any other previous coverage--less commentary and more live footage. Al Jazeera gave viewers a unique opportunity to offer their think of their own commentary to the footage, undeniably encouraging the growing participation of citizen journalists.

Al Jazeera’s latest attempt to engage users in a new way is in the launching of a social media broadcasting experiment, The Stream. The concept behind the addition is a web community with a daily show element. The vision for The Stream is to integrate social media into news programming and stake a prominent claim in the American media space. Social media has immensely facilitated the pathway for citizen journalists. The show is said to launch May 2, 2011 according to an NBC source. The vision for this endeavor is to create a space where the dialogue facilitated by social media continues and increases as part of a news broadcast.

The Stream will operate off of a social media creation called Storify, which “interlaces freeze frames or original sources and videos and original analysis.” The interactive component makes this experience an entirely unique one. The interactive portion ensures that there will be continuously innovative. Various news networks are struggling to better connect with audiences and are seeking new ways of encouraging active viewing habits. This news program differs from other programs that feature Facebook or Twitter components because in this case users will play an active role in what appears on the news. The Stream hopes to break barriers in terms of user connectivity and engagement.

Al Jazeera acknowledges that the future of the news rests heavily on the notion that average viewers have the potential to be very powerful contributors; the future of journalism is inextricably linked to the degree of user engagement. This platform has the potential to be incredibly successful because it is more focused on connecting users with other users that creating content. Al Jazeera is embracing the future of news media and it is very telling that they are choosing to do so in the American media market and choosing to focus on international news.

In many respects Al Jazeera became the voice of the revolutionary uprisings in the Middle East just a few months ago. And while Al Jazeera has made its name by pushing boundaries and challenging governments, this latest endeavor is just the most recent iteration of the same path. While most media outlets lack objectivity because they respond to the wants and needs of audiences, Al Jazeera is going farther by embracing this notion. By using it as a foundation for reporting, this attempt has to either be revolutionary or self-destructive. There is a very good possibility that this is the future of news journalism. Is The Stream the a step towards rendering established journalists obsolete? Will it turn the profession on its head and transform news consumers into the most prominent news producers? Only time will tell. For now and as the show launches in just minutes, we can at least catch a glimpse of this experiment from the preview of the show's first episode.

More info:

Farooq, Sajid. "Al Jazeera Launches Its Great Social Media Experiment | NBC Bay Area."NBC Bay Area. 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2011.

Ferenstein, Gregory. "Al Jazeera's Social Media Experiment "The Stream" Launches Online Today | Fast Company. FastCompany.com. 18 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .