In advance of tomorrow’s BloggerCon 2, Jay Rosen at PressThink has this: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness. A lot of interesting stuff here:
… To me–but then I’m a professor of it–journalism is always up for grabs. That’s a principle and it needs to be maintained. But to many people I have been reading and arguing with in my head, this is true only abstractly. In reality, journalism is the opposite of “up for grabs.” It’s the Establishment. A closed profession. Or worse. Journalism, for many who blog, is one thing they are blogging against. Or instead of. (Or are they blogging “over” it? Could be.)
So what is journalism? Not sure, they say, but someone else owns it. …
Big Journalism is a Back East thing. (And journalists in the West are driven crazy by this.) It’s all rules and “shoulds.” But blogging is virtually rule-less, and open to so many shoulds that none can gain status as standard. Some of the suspicion I found also has to do with professionals coming toward an activity that, long before the pros even knew about it, was not only open to amateurs–people volunteering their time–but had been invented, developed and first popularized by them.
“This is ours, not theirs” explains, I think, why some bloggers say of journalism: that’s theirs, not ours. …
All this is fine. But then Jay unfortunately forgets his own precepts about small-j journalism and accepts the blur that some bloggers make between the practice of journalism and that entity known as the “news media.” And so he accedes to the view that “Journalism is not blogging” [correction: should have written, “Blogging is not journalism], even as he cites several examples that contradict his own thesis.
I would have gone in a different direction, by showing how blogging has the potential for democratizing journalism, by showing how grassroots media are expanding our understanding of journalism’s traditional boundaries, by talking about open media and citizens media and participatory journalism. Not by saying journalism and blogging always fall into different buckets. That’s clearly not the case. Certainly it ignores the reality of dozens of journalists who blog and tens of thousands of bloggers who engage in sporadic acts of journalism. It seems to undermine the idea of a Citizens Media Center that Jeff Jarvis, among others, is pushing (ironically, in concert with NYU). And it undermines Doc’s call yesterday for bloggers to begin more original reportage, rather than merely deconstructing the news media. But I think what really set me on edge was the notion that we should return to the days when only big-J journalists practice journalism and bloggers, well, whatever they did, it certainly wasn’t journalism.
I’m a little surprised Jay didn’t link to any of my stuff, given that I’ve written more about blogging and journalism than perhaps anyone (though he does quote Kaye Trammell quoting me). Dave W. invited me to BloggerCon, but my book deadline precludes it. I trust that Dan, as he covers Jay’s session tomorrow, will offer some journalism on his blog.
Anyway, read the responses to Jay’s post. Ed Cone: “journalism clearly happens on blogs.” Lisa Williams: The Blogger As Citizen Journalist.
Later: Mary Hodder at Napsterization weighs in nicely. “The real issues are what does media — any media — look like, how does it rethink it’s role? Cause you still gotta get the city council meeting documented even if ten bloggers write up their opinions on Mayor Bob.”
Also seems that I’m of the same mind as Dave Winer, who just posted his own essay on BloggerCon.
Is the expert writing his or her expertise publicly without intermediaries journalism? I don’t know. I tend to think it is. But that isn’t the question I asked.
But no matter what we call it, it’s a big deal. Because now we can route around confusion. And god knows we need this, in a world where people think Saddam Hussein bombed the WTC and Iraqi nuclear power plants are being raided in the middle of the night by god knows who.
Later still: Rebecca weighs in, too, with: A Few Thoughts on Journalism and What Can Weblogs Do About It.
The broad definition of journalism I propose is this: Journalism is any third-party account that adds to the record of verifiable facts. …
Note how broadly and clearly this standard can be applied. When a blogger writes up daily accounts of an international conference, as David Steven did at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, that is journalism. When a magazine reporter repurposes a press release without checking facts or talking to additional sources, that is not. When a blogger interviews an author about their new book, that is journalism. When an opinion columnist manipulates facts in order to create a false impression, that is not. When a blogger searches the existing record of fact and discovers that a public figure’s claim is untrue, that is journalism. When a reporter repeats a politician’s assertions without verifying whether they are true, that is not. …
You may notice that this definition will leave out a great mass of bloggers who are practicing what I call participatory media: shaping, filtering, commenting, contextualizing, and disseminating–interacting with–the news reports that others have produced. And if they are left out, what’s the problem with that?
One problem is that we–and I am part of that great mass of non-journalist bloggers–think what we’re doing is important. And if we can’t apply a title like “journalism” to our work, how can we make others understand how important it is? …
Participatory media and journalism are different, but online they exist in a shared media space. There are tremendous synergies possible between the two. I have no desire to conform my weblog to journalistic standards, or to remake journalism in my image. I want to find ways to leverage the strengths of both worlds to the mutual benefit of both.
Excellent essay.
Still later: Sheila has her say.
JD Lasica, founder of Inside Social Media, is also a fiction author and the co-founder of the cruise discovery engine Cruiseable. See his About page, contact JD or follow him on Twitter.
Blogar pode ser jornalismo?
No uma pergunta nova, mas teve agora um novo impulso com um debate acalorado em torno desta apresentao de Jay Rosen. Rebecca Blood, Dave Winer e J.D.Lassica – todos com argumentos diversos. A no perder….
Blogar pode ser jornalismo?
No uma pergunta nova, mas teve agora um novo impulso com um debate acalorado em torno desta apresentao de Jay Rosen. Rebecca Blood, Dave Winer e J.D.Lassica – todos com argumentos diversos. A no perder….
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
The late, great Dick Schwarzlose told me at Medill that journalists are “people who work for people who buy ink by the barrel.”
The problem with blogging, as journalism, is simply that it doesn’t pay.
Once any blogger finds a way to make blogging pay, or make what they do as a blogger pay, they become a journalist.
Unfortunately, this usually means working for someone else, as Kevin Drum (CalPundit) illustrates.
So the drive to create a business model here must continue.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Mais blogs e Jornalismo
– A conferncia de Jay Rosen no BloggerCon parece ter causado polmica. Em seu artigo introdutrio (j divulgado aqui), ele coloca algumas idias sobre como blogs no poderiam ser jornalismo. Apesar de acompanhar com interesse essas discusses, ainda n…
Mais blogs e Jornalismo
– A conferncia de Jay Rosen no BloggerCon parece ter causado polmica. Em seu artigo introdutrio (j divulgado aqui), ele coloca algumas idias sobre como blogs no poderiam ser jornalismo. Apesar de acompanhar com interesse essas discusses, ainda n…
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here’s my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let’s start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here’s my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let’s start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here’s my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let’s start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon: Journalism and Weblogging in Their Corrected Fullness
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.
Brain Food for BloggerCon
Here's my Introduction, take two, for the Saturday morning session at BloggerCon. Let's start by separating two things. Blogging is not journalism. But if each imagined itself as the other, some good might come of that.