• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 20, 2015

Is a content curator an editor? Probably not, according to at least one post.

But the argument for the editorial viability of curators might help native advertising writers/producers looking to gain credibility as they continue to fog up the works with the likes of  “content creation.”

Yes, journalism still exists, but you have to know where to look for it. And then there are a bunch of others who look to play in the same sandbox.

But you have to wonder whether some popular digital and new media areas are doing their due diligence. In return, others may point to the likes of NBC’s Brian Williams or Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly for using sleight of hand to wrap themselves in an at-the-scene-of-real-events patina. They’d call for more honesty: In the U.K., such folks would be called “news readers,” after all. But here in the U.S. many TV anchors not only want to continue with a “journalist” profile but aspire to -- or maintain -- the title of “managing editors” of their TV shows.

Consumer sentiment can be equated to TV ratings. What has the Williams problem meant for NBC? Hard to say, since he is on leave. His replacements have seen generally stable results.

But I can’t make sense of what happened a few days after the release of the news on O’Reilly. Though he seemingly took the same route as Williams (but not on a high-profile TV show like “Late Show with David Letterman) in touting his supposed reporting adventures, his “The O”Reilly Factor” witnessed higher viewership for the most recent week versus the same week a year before.

Truth or fiction -- or something in between? Consumers will hear what they want. Leave it up to them to rectify, analyze, and make a final decision; to become their own kind of journalists.

Curator, editor, TV producer or maybe just abstractor? Find a name and stick with it.