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Is blogging the new form of Journalism? Should bloggers be held to the same standards as the media? Those questions were asked of me recently in an email, and raise a lot of food for thought.

I don’t know that I’d say blogging is a new form of journalism, no. Blogging is certainly a newer type of writing style. Blogging and journalism aren’t exactly the same, but they achieve the same results. A blogger writes out of passion, out of an extreme interest for a particular topic. Should a blogger then be held to the same standards as the media? I don’t think so, necessarily. I guess it depends on what your definition of a journalist is, as opposed to a blogger. The only difference I can see between the two is content. They’re both there to produce content. Bloggers write because they want to. Journalists write to get paid, because it is their job.

How many times have you had this happen? I’ll get a phone call from someone who wants to interview me, or include me in a story. They’ll take up a few hours of my time, asking tons of questions. Then, of course, they use only one thing I said or the story/comments aren’t used correctly. How many times have you been watching television, and the reporter just totally gets it wrong. You’re yelling at the tv, telling the person on the program that they are wrong! It happens all the time.

This is the main difference I see between bloggers and journalists. Bloggers tend to write what they know, think and feel. Journalists are supposed to give facts, and unfortunately don’t always get them correct.

In many ways, the Blogosphere is like this huge editorial board. If a blogger comes out with something excellent, it will spread like wildfire. It will be validated. Many people feel that bloggers should be held to the same standards as the media. But… what makes “the media”? Heck, I am the media as much as anyone else is. So who draws the line? Who decides what is journalism, and what is merely blogging? Who is the boss when it comes to standards for sets of people?

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This link was passed to me by Gnomedex Keytone Robert Steele. Seems that we live a life of blogging luxury here in the U.S. – Arab bloggers pay toll for truth:

Not all bloggers in the Arab world are so dedicated in their use of this new freedom. Not all make the extra effort to search out and verify the news. Extremists of all sorts have embraced the internet to brag of their activities and recruit new members.

But a small number of online journalists are telling important truths, despite great obstacles, setbacks and flaws of their own.

Rather than hailing the Arab world’s catch-up with the internet revolution, however, some Arab regimes have done the opposite. They have blocked blogs, removed posts and arrested and detained bloggers or prohibited them from travelling, according to the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, a Cairo-based group.

The Internet is a country without borders – and now we have to wait for political leaders and oppressive social institutions to embrace that irreversible, uncontrollable, undeniable flat fact.

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Upon receiving the invite for this week’s Seattle-area blogger meetup with KOMO TV, Dave Newton put things into perspective for the community-at-large:

I’m flattered that I made a list of Seattle area bloggers, but not starry-eyed enough to accept the invitation to come and be cooed over by the TV people, no matter how sincere they may seem about recognizing my significance. See, I have been, and plan to continue, commenting upon and sometimes criticizing KOMO-TV, and many other media organizations. So, I prefer not to drink their booze and eat their hors d’oeuvres, thanks all the same. I guess I can’t help thinking I’d have a harder time blogging about them afterward, and that they–KOMO-TV and Mr. Pirillo, the self-styled self-promoter–would like that very much.

I left a comment, which is something I seldom do in blogs these days (choosing, instead, to take remarks back into my own space so that others within my circle might discover them easier). “You shouldn’t stop complaining… in fact, I’d say you should be complaining even louder now. :) Unfortunately, that’s the only way companies listen (in reaction to PAIN points).” Dave responded:

I’m trying to understand what he meant. I think he’s encouraging me. Always dangerous. Anyway, thanks, Chris. You seem to get that I’m not attacking you for promoting. I’m exposing the normal, legal, process of schmoozing communications people to obtain positive coverage. KOMO-TV has a perfect right to do this, and since most bloggers are not journalists, or not professional, or both, there’s nothing in their upbringing to preclude their swooning over any attention from anybody important. I come from a conventional old-time broadcaster background, so I’m not available for schmoozing. That’s all.

Yes, I always encourage complainers – dehypers, if you will (although, I often complain in a hyperactive manner). At least Dave understands that bloggers aren’t journalists – though many of them (you!?) seem to think they are (or should be treated as such). Local news outfits are in even bigger trouble as they face an increased risk of losing their national affiliate status.

More than anything, I see larger media outlets finally understanding their increasing irrelevance with the minds of Americans. Mind you, I’m all for that – as I think ‘big media’ has taken too much away from us (far more than it has given). I’m not trying to kick ‘em while they’re down, but I am hopeful that they’ll soon put an end to the separation between themselves and the community. Therein lies an opportunity as I see it – but I’ve been mistaken before.

Color me an idealist. :)

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