This is an archive of the old Stones Cry Out site. For the current site, click here.
« ??? v. Kennedy | Main | Best Bible Translation for Today is Not the TNIV »
February 10, 2005
Blogging and Journalism
Is blogging journalism? It is part of the modern media mix, but is it journalism? Since my undergradute and graduate degrees are in journalism and I have worked either in media or with media (in public relations) my entire career, I guess I should be some kind of expert on this. My answer would be a resounding “sometimes.”
Since I have been blogging, I have observed some really great blog journalism, and much that is not only bad journalism, but unconscionable misuse of facts and ad hominen attacks. On the other hand, we’ve all seen the good and the bad in the traditional media.
Rather than try to fit blogging into a journalistic box, I see the blogosphere as more of an endless conversation that enriches and challenges the traditional flow of information.
"I think there's really not that much to distinguish between journalists and bloggers except for a formalized edit process before print,” said Choire Sicha, editorial director of Gawker Media, one of the leading publishers of independent blogs, in an interview with Steve Outing at Poynter Online. “Nearly all journalists traffic privately in gossip, anonymous sources, and thinly veiled juicy items -- they just don't usually get to throw those things into print, and so they IM these tidbits to us bloggers," he says. "Bloggers are really just the id of the journalism world."
Outing has written two articles that help the two types of communicators learn from each other. They are titled, What Bloggers Can Learn From Journalists and What Journalists Can Learn from Bloggers.
Posted by Jim at February 10, 2005 07:56 AM
Trackback Pings
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Blogging and Journalism:
» Visiting: Stones Cry Out from Pseudo-Polymath
Joe Carter inspired the Meet Your Neighbors theme. I've taken it up as "visiting" on my site. Today, your site came up. Peace. [Read More]
Tracked on February 10, 2005 09:00 AM
» More debate on MSM vs Bloggers from The Anchoress
A friend in the MSM pointed out this hearty defense on their behalf by blogger/journalist Steve Silver. I think he makes some good points and some silly ones, but to my way of thinking, the mainstream media did incalculable damage to themselves when ... [Read More]
Tracked on February 10, 2005 04:39 PM
Comments
Journalism is how you approach the news. Journalism is not how you disseminate your work product. For example, Dan Rather may have a day job reading news. Yet Rather is not a journalist. On the other hand, Paul Johnson may have a day job as bank vice president, but he is journalist. Journalism is what you do and not how your work product is distributed.
David
Posted by: David at February 10, 2005 09:11 AM
I think your "sometimes" is appropriate and those times are probably far less than many bloggers want to admit. Journalism is, it seems to me, two things, broadly speaking: (1) First-hand reporting; (2) Thoughtful commentary.
Very few bloggers are doing the first thing. Most who place news items on their sites are simply linking to other sources, sometimes with comments. (My favorite is Glenn Reynolds' frequent, "Heh" and "Indeed.")
There are many bloggers doing thoughtful commentary and it is in this latter category that some of our number might be considered journalists, I think. Some blogs, however, are the moral equivalents of chain emails containing "urban legends" of one kind or another. That can hardly be described as journalism.
Good, thoughtful post.
Posted by: Mark at February 11, 2005 12:52 AM