Jay on removing the Versus between journalists and bloggers
Jay Rosen has a terrific post arguing that the B vs. J debate is over. I don’t think it’s actually over until we figure out — invent — together the new world that’s emerging, but Jay points to five important premises. I’ll post the five here, but the piece is worth reading in its entirety:
1.) Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one, and blogging means anyone can own one. That is the Number One reason why weblogs matter. It is the broadest and deepest of all factors making this conference urgent.
2.) Instead of starting with “do blogs have credibility?” or “should blogging obey journalism ethics?” we should begin in a broader territory, which is trust. Trust as it is generated in different settings, online and off, in both blogging and in journalism — or in life.
3.) Look around: blogging partakes of a re-surgent spirit of amateurism now being seen in many fields earlier colonized by professionals.
4.) If news as lecture could yield to news as conversation, as some have recommended, it might transform the credibility puzzle because it would feed good information to journalists about the trusters and what they do and do not put their trust in.
5.) Among bloggers there is the type “stand alone journalist,” and this is why among journalists there is now the type: blogger.
Yup.
Categories: Uncategorized dw
It isn’t us versus them, we’re all spreading the word
The discussion of are bloggers journalists and are bloggers out to get journalists (and vice-versa), it coming to the fore …
I think he’s spot on. Recently I was asked for some information from “full time” journalists on a couple posts I put on my blog. When they confirmed the data I had posted was indeed fact, I scored a credibility point with them. Now every time I post something and it turns out to be true I’ll score another credibility point until I have enough in my trust bank to not need to score any.
However, if I post something that’s wrong or way off base I could bankrupt my credibility account and never be able to build it back up.
I [as a blogger] rather like working with journalists instead of against them. It gives me more exposure and helps them find a reliable source of information in my field. Since I’ll never be a major publisher I’m more than happy with that arrangement. It’s a win-win in my book.