Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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July 4, 2008

When Kings Get Stuck in Their Own Kingly Story . . . MSM, Blogging, and Social Media

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:19 am

Step Away from Your Thinking

The Living Web

In a conversation yesterday about the decline of print newspapers, my husband asked a simple question . . .

My Husband: They report the news. It’s their business. Why didn’t they see it?

ME: Some did. But mainstream media kings believed in the power of the monarchy.

When kings reign over a silent audience, they might believe they have the only voice. The sound of other voices could become unconceivable. It’s easy to see how they might get stuck in their own story.

Another Kingdom that Wasn’t Listening

Two hundred years ago, a king thought he had the only voice that mattered . . .

In 1775 relations were souring between England and the American colonies. Colonists felt overtaxed and treated unfairly. Still looking to save the union, the colonists extended an Olive Branch Petition to King George III.

We your Majesty’s faithful subjects of the colonies of New-hampshire, Massachusetts-bay, . . . in behalf of ourselves and the inhabitants of these colonies, who have deputed us to represent them in general Congress, entreat your Majesty’s gracious attention to this our humble petition.

The union between our Mother Country and these colonies, and the energy of mild and just government, produced benefits so remarkably important, and afforded such an assurance of their permanency and increase, that the wonder and envy of other Nations were excited, while they beheld Great Britain riseing to a power the most extraordinary the world had ever known.

George III refused it. He issued a Proclamation of Rebellion. He called them traitors

Whereas many of our subjects in divers parts of our Colonies and Plantations in North America, misled by dangerous and ill designing men, and forgetting the allegiance which they owe to the power that has protected and supported them; after various disorderly acts committed in disturbance of the publick peace, to the obstruction of lawful commerce, and to the oppression of our loyal subjects carrying on the same; have at length proceeded to open and avowed rebellion, by arraying themselves in a hostile manner, to withstand the execution of the law, and traitorously preparing, ordering and levying war against us: . . .

A year later the colonies signed, The Declaration of Independence.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Each year on July 4, the United States of America celebrates the independence won in the war this document declared. Suppose George III had listened?

When Kings Get Stuck in Their Own Kingly Story

Kings, contrarians, politicians . . . celebrities, bloggers, CEOs . . . preachers, teachers, all of us . . . when we start believing our own kingly stories, we stop listening to the people around us.

We start sorting their voices as we would have them. We stop thinking. We stop remembering that we don’t get to pick how other folks will be.

When the MSM media might have listened, they were selling their own story. Citizen journalist became less than a compliment — it was term to spin their story. What if they’d put down their kingly story?

Now the MSM castle is undergoing expensive renovation.
No kingly group is immune from narrow vision.
Even the most wonderful story can’t control the conversation.

What sort of listening strategy will keep us from getting stuck in our own story?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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9 Comments to “When Kings Get Stuck in Their Own Kingly Story . . . MSM, Blogging, and Social Media”

  1. July 4th, 2008 at 8:36 am
    Rick Wolff said

    Wow, great minds think … well, pretty closely! You have a full-blown (and very apt) analogy for the 21st century that involves you intimately.

    I remember when blogging was new, thought I remember more vividly when podcasting was new, and the topic of many a MSM news feature, usually wrapping up a broadcast. “Aw, isn’t that cute, hobbyists are trying to walk in our big shoes.”

    Just like the War of Independence, I don’t want “Mother MSM” to go away. We need her, for doing the kind of investigative journalism that citizens can’t. A future peacetime trade partner?

    At the risk of crassness, my topical post about the Declaration of Independence is up too. It doesn’t narrow in on an analogy to anyone in 2008 in particular, but takes the approach of putting you in the driver’s seat. You’ll see.

  2. July 4th, 2008 at 8:57 am
    Anna said

    People who think they know everything they need to know distress me greatly. We are here to learn from each other. It seems so obvious to me …

  3. July 4th, 2008 at 8:58 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Rick!
    I was on my way to check out your blog post when I saw this comment come in.

    Yeah, you remember the same kind of “pat you on the head” patronizing that was the way of things that I do. Like you, I don’t want the MSM to die — my friend work there and they have the organizational power we don’t have, and don’t crave. I like your analogy to a future peacetime trade partner. :)

  4. July 4th, 2008 at 11:21 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Anna,
    I’m with you on the learning . . . and learning what we need to know.
    It’s each to be looking in the wrong direction and learning the wrong things too.

  5. July 5th, 2008 at 7:58 am
    Karen Swim said

    Liz, like you I don’t want MSM to die either but have watched them bury their heads in the sand as time marched right over them. This post is a reminder to us all that we serve others not our own interests. We must not only listen to input but actively seek it and be willing to evolve to meet the needs of those we serve. In the blogging community there is much debate about where conversations take place (on blog, FF, etc) and I think we would all do well to read this post, read it again and adhere to its message.

  6. July 5th, 2008 at 8:56 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi Karen!
    Yeah, that’s my point. We can stand back and say what we like. However, we’re as likely to get stuck in our own story as anyone.

    Thanks for noticing. :)

  7. July 5th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
    GaryJay said

    What it boils down to, is do ya want the facts or do ya just want to hear others agreeing with ya? Unfortunately today, the media (no names need be mentioned, for they are all guilty)), are all saying listen to me, listen to me—-and us fools, are running to and from like ants in a disturbed anthill—LOL—Sgt Friday on the old TV show “Dragnet” says it best—”just the facts mame”!! (we all need to just get the facts and do our OWN interpretation, not be bobble headed dolls to the talkign heads on TV—-think about it>

  8. July 5th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
    ME Liz Strauss said

    Hi GaryJay!
    Knowing that the facts we often live by aren’t facts anymore is a problem we all have. I’m with you about getting back to reality. :)

  9. July 6th, 2008 at 12:03 am
    Coffee Break said

    [...] Liz Strauss at Successful Blog, When Kings Get Stuck in Their Own Kingly Story . . . MSM, Blogging, and Social Media. Don’t miss this unique twist on the tension between main stream media and other sources of [...]

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