If the new models of journalism create ways of giving communities the power to tell their own stories to each other, then I suppose that's in line with 'Power to the People'.
But the models that survive will be the ones that do that successfully. So I suppose that's 'Power from the People'.
Here's a great example of how that power from the people can turn into an income stream.
So could ENGAGEMENT=INCOME?
I liked these thoughts about engagement. Especially this:
"every time I have watched a newspaper focus group, I felt like it never got at what people truly think and feel. The artificiality of the focus group affects what the participants say, and in the end, it’s just not the real deal. It isn’t that they’re lying, but they are trying to make a good impression — not only on the people asking the questions but also on the other participants, who are strangers to them."
That reminded me of The Wisdom of Crowds. People always make the right decisions, but only under the right circumstances. They have to be informed, have the chance to ask questions and be able to make their final decision on their own initiative without being affected by the opinions of others. Aggregate the answers and the outcome is - almost invariably - spot on.
I always though that online news community sites would a great model for that kind of deliberation. Back to 'Power to the People'.