After a recent DMCA struggle between the left-leaning news site, the Drudge Report and the Associated Press about using AP links to reference stories, Buzz Machine Jeff Jarvis wonders if this could be a final rally for a once-great, sinking news network. The focus, he asserts, should now be on crediting the local sources of news and promoting free linking between news organizations. The AP has charged members for years to be a part of its news wire network.

Can the paradigm ever change to “open source” news?

The internet is the perfect medium for sharing information; no fax machines, typists, layout guys or bloated prices necessary.  Perhaps it is only a matter of time before the skeleton newspapers down on the local scale realize that, by sharing recent content, they can create a network that provides strength through association. Association without paying a middleman.