Steven RosenbaumWhether from misguided practices, or misplaced good intentions, or lack of editorial oversight, the Huffington Post is on the carpet this week for aggregation violations that stop just short of plagiarism and copyright infringement.

To sort out the rights and wrongs of online journalism when it practices aggregation, CCC’s Chris Kenneally spoke today (Wednesday, July 13, 2011) with Steven Rosenbaum, author of “Curation Nation,” a new book that celebrates aggregation as the future of digital news distribution. A full-length “Beyond the Book” interview with Rosenbaum appeared this Monday.

The controversy currently brewing sets off with a young reporter charged with “over-aggregating,” but quickly moves past her to a veteran media pundit – Advertising Age’s Simon Dumenco – who seizes a chance to denounce what he calls the innumerable “casual editorial muggings” suffered by journalists at the hands of Arianna’s army.

Steven Rosenbaum spoke with Kenneally about the necessary standards for aggregation that online editors ought give to reporters, and what defines “over-aggregation.” He suggested that HuffPo use the controversy as an opportunity to issue publicly its own standards, which could become de facto guidelines for others.

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