When I first got into journalism, people who gathered facts and wrote about them were called reporters.

Now we are increasingly called “filters.” You know, people who get in the way of a message. Fortunately for politicians and companies, powerful new tools exist to bypass filters and go directly to your target audience.

Yes, I am thinking about Barack Obama’s text messaging of his Vice Presidential pick. It’s a great strategy. It forges a direct connection with supporters. It builds a database of people who have voluntarily chosen to get information on a very personal device -- a cell phone. (If you doubt that cell phones are extremely personal, you don’t have a teenager in your house.) And it says to those supporters, “Hey, we don’t need other people getting in the way of our community.”

Let’s be honest, this is a gimmick. After all, reporters will immediately broadcast the news to the world, reaching billions of people. The text will reach maybe a few million.

But two points will be made. The first, that direct marketing via mobile devices is the wave of the future. It’s immediate and powerful and it can only grow. After all, I carry my cell phone everywhere. Why not shop using the device that is always with me? Why not get more information on that device? Why not, indeed.

The other point is about the nature of power and media going forward. The old guard is increasingly seen as the rear guard. Candidates and corporations do not want to be filtered. Who plays the role of watchdog and “filter” in that new world remains to be seen.

Text me if you know the answer.