The tradition in news organizations is to believe their work is definitive. The corollary of that belief is that others' work is inferior. The product of that belief is to dismiss, disregard and even discredit anyone else's work.
The new ethic, though, is quite different. The news organization exists in an era of easy access to abundance. There is no pretending any longer that others aren't producing some of the same journalism --- or even beating you to the story.
For some time now many organizations have been linking out, curating content online for users and recognizing that there are many elements worth consuming --- and, thus, they ought to be consumed readily without arduous searching.
Ryan Sholin posts in BeatBlogging.org some key arguments for news organizations to link:
1. We owe it to readers to give them as much as we can.
2. Linking out is a key to being a citizen in the digital sphere.
3. It's the best way to link with the community in your town.
4. We don't know everything, but know where to find what we don't know.
5. It makes our jobs easier.
