Media Transparency

At Los Alamos, Blogging Their Discontent (subscription required) appeared in yesterday's NYT.  The article was about a blog at a public institution, Los Alamos that while not revolutionary itself is a dramatic example of the power of blogs to bring credible information into the public spectrum and potentially effect dramatic change.

There were several things about this incident that struck me as an acceleration in the trend of blogs as an instrument to vent areas of frustration and unease with authority and leadership.

First of all, this was Los Alamos, one of the most secretive parts of our defense research organization.  Next, you had anywhere from an estimated 200-500 employees share their thoughts who are normally some of the most tight lipped of any public and private institutions.  Then of course the timing of this blog is very auspicious in that the Univ. of California is under pressure for renewal of its contract for running a portion of Los Alamos. The aggregation and inclusion of a large number of employees in one place is another factor that I believe gives their complaints about an abusive leader more credibility. A reader can instantly see the common themes among the blogger's comments It is true you could have several people place different comments but there are some who have signed openly. Another concerning issue is that Los Alamos may be in danger of losing other senior and accomplished researchers such as Dr. Brad Lee Holian which is a important issue not to be overlooked.

As more traditional media sources such as the NYTimes pick up and research this story there is even greater likelihood that the call for accountability will cause some sort of change.  Jeff Jarvis, editor of BuzzMachine calls this a " New Ethic of Transparency."  Maybe this swelling public voice will cause leaders to reexamine some of their strategies when they know it will be harder to keep everything confidential.  I think it gives new power to the individual voice to bring to light areas and issues that deserve further scrutiny without pronouncing anyone innocent or guilty.   If bloggers can create this call for accountability at Los Alamos, maybe it can occur before the future Enrons arise again.