http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wium/local-wium-969124.mp3
Macomb, IL – The panelists discuss whether it's still possible to have a shared national experience over a news story.
The starting point for the discussion is the shooting death of terrorist Osama bin Laden. Many people around the nation found out about his death at roughly the same time, though they got the news from many different sources.
Years ago people generally tuned into the same few TV or radio stations for breaking news. Now, there are countless stations and websites from which someone can obtain news updates.
Nonetheless, the panelists believe it's still possible to have a shared national experience. Bill Knight points out it's the story - not the source of the information - that matters when people look back and remember what they were doing when they learned about a significant event.