Q         How many of the so-called “village recorders” are used by Quest-France, and how are they selected?

A         Dider Pillet, Director of Information at Ouest-France believes that they are moving into the heart of news coverage, where social functionality is the future, and bloggers will contribute fully to news coverage.  They are not envisaged as substitutes for news journalists. 

A         Rebecca McKinnon, Co-founder of Global Voices emphasized that blogs do not aim to take over the newspaper business.  Ninety percent of bloggers do not want to be reporters; this is just a way of living. 

Q         How do you select local correspondents and do you compensate them?

A         Pillet answered that the finding of candidates is the most difficult part.  They look for people who are interested in community living. 

Q        What about the credibility of these voluntary and village reporters? 

A         McKinnon answered that they usually make use of an established and known network of people.  Blogospheres are human networks of trust, and mainly used to aggregate facts from people everywhere. 

Q         What if a blog containing populist material turns out to be completely wrong?

A         McKinnon replied that they do not endeavor to collect news, but to rather link to people’s conversation.  She acknowledged that they have had some complaints about bias and selectivity.  If readers complain that they are not dealing with credible blogs, they are being asked for referrals to better blogs. 

Q         Has anyone ever had bad experiences with hoaxes? 

A         It happens with regard to videos.  Dave Panos, CEO Pluck said that they insist to speak to the person who sent it. 

Q         How do you manage integrity and social conformity?

A         Pillet replied that the major guideline is respect for other people.  It fosters critical skills for debate and respect for others’ opinions. 

Q         Have you had any legal problems regarding content from bloggers?  What about copyright value?

A         In the USA, there is a fair amount of protection.  It comes down to community policing and technological vices.

Q         One year from now in Sweden, what will be different?

A         All panel members concurred that in a year’s time, the virtual world will be even closer.  Conversations about news should be conducted.  The role of the journalist will be reconfigured.  Services such as Facebook will have grown tremendously.  The bottom line is that well-trained journalists will not become extinct.