Bloggers Aren’t Journalists to The House
If the world isn’t ready to accept bloggers as journalists, then I must ask why it is that bloggers want to be considered journalists. I got out of journalism because I didn’t want to fight against the corporate interests and failing profit models. Social media, in particular blogging and independent journalism, has given me new hope in using broader sources of writing and investigation to find the truth. After all, isn’t that what journalism is really about? Reporting the truth as accurately as we can.
Not that I think all major news outlets need to go away. It might prove difficult for a group of bloggers to put together a reporting mission in Iraq. But I see more hope than hobby in the new regimes of citizen truth seekers. As even the most prominent journalism schools turn the study into more marketing than reporting, we must all question who really will have more access to and interest in the truth in the future.
The key issue here is defining who the government can force to reveal their source. Journalists are protected under the new bill. Bloggers and freelancers are not.
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Categories: Social Media, Web |
i’m in two minds about this. not every tom, dick and harry can declare themselves a “journalist” just because they write something akin to opinion on the internet… i’m not saying that bloggers haven’t uncovered some interesting bits and pieces here and there, but on the whole, their reporting seems a bit spotty. i also worry about the openly subjective nature of a lot of blogging i’ve read — i know being 100% objective is impossible, but at least good news outlets make that their first and foremost goal. also, a lot of blogging is based on reading or watching major media stories and then doing either additional digging or lambasting… only 4 news outlets were in Iraq at the beginning of the war I’m told. What are you going to do — allow 10,000 bloggers on the frontlines?
those are my stream of consciousness thoughts.
Yeah, I’m certainly in no hurry for the major media outlets to go away, I just see the revolution coming (and I’m not the only one). I’m a big believer in filtered news. Find the attitude, channel, or voice you identify with and run with it. I think John Stewart gets closer to the truth on The Daily Show than a lot of people. Never underestimate the power of satire.
This isn’t going to be easy. People have gotten used to the Internet being free, and now we’re going to have to find a way to charge for the content produced through it. I think micropayments are the most promising at this point, now that we have technology that can support it. People don’t mind paying for news, we’ve just lost sight of the value of content as publication has gotten easier and the distribution has become more complex.
We also need to find ways to continue to support big media in certain spheres, hopefully with something more creative and effective than ad revenue. You’re right, we don’t need 10,000 bloggers on the front line, and couldn’t afford to have them there anyway. Similarly, why do we need dozens of cameras and microphones at each press event rather than just a few trusted feeds? Publications like The Huffington Post start to look like big media even in the blog world.
I don’t think it’s bloggers versus journalists. I think they are symbiotic, and this starts to sound like the fight for equal marriage rights. Why does the government make these distinctions in the first place, and how do we as a society make sure the majority of people get the rights and representation they are after?
I’d like to add something thoughtful to this discussion, but toddler induced sleep deprivation only allows my hazy brain to say one thing. This phrase: “new regimes of citizen truth seekers” makes me happy. I like it a lot.
Ah, shanks. Yes it may be a bit idealist but I think it’s the right idea. Now we just have to empower the journalists who really have the passion for investigative reporting to do what they need to do outside of the corporate shell. I’ll get back to you when I figure it out.