Here’s a piece from todays New York Times. While the story focuses on sports blogs, the issues raised are germane to the evolution of journalism in general. As journalism is the only profession/business specifically protected in the Constitution, changes here echo out into the culture at large.
Read the piece and respond to the issues raised: Who controls content? Are news organizations promoters or impediments to the free distribution of information? Are professional news organizations the final word on accuracy or do blogs, with their nearly instant vetting of information, allow readers to get the “real” story? If bloggers are getting paid, who is a professional? Do you read blogs? Do you write blogs?
Have at it.
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The sports conglomerates make a good point: the First Amendment prohibits limitations on free speech that are imposed by the government. However, considering that the teams play in publicly owned stadiums and knowing what we know about the Supreme Court’s adamant support of free speech, it is fair to say that this issue deserves further consideration because it very well may be a landmark court case in the near future.
News organizations assist in the distribution of information. Without them, the media would either be controlled by the government (that doesn’t work very well, as we’ve seen in countless dictatorships) or it would be a non-profit enterprise. Neither alternative seems a viable option in our society, especially considering the millions of dollars media organizations rake in from their various enterprises in newspapers, television, and radio. Thus, professional media organizations are here to stay. And it’s a good thing, too; without them, there is no control on the validity of information. Granted, media organizations have their own share of scandal and plagiarism, but at least there are structures in place to check and balance these few dishonest journalists. In the blogging world, there is no such control. Blogging is identical to simply posting content on the Internet, which, generally speaking, poses no restriction on content and no check of accuracy. Yes, blogs can be useful for showing news organizations what they can’t see, as has been the case in China with the recent uprising from which the media is banned. The news media can use blogging information as a tip or a place to start, but they must apply their own journalistic ideal of checking sources and facts to make the blogs true journalism.
Bloggers who are paid are technically professional, but unless they answer to high standards of accuracy, they are not technically journalists. Many blogs have popped up in association with media sites, and these are legitimate because they are forced to conform to strict accuracy standards. In addition, independent blogs have become a convenient training ground for aspiring journalists. I personally do read a couple blogs, but they are primarily associate with journalists who also work in other media outside the Internet. Without that validation from a media organizations, blogs can and will say anything and everything, with no regard to accuracy. That is not to say blogging should be censored; it is a free medium open to anyone who can register on a site like Blogspot. Readers just need to realize that blogs are not as dependable as newspapers, television, and radio, all of which are controlled by larger media organizations.
I have around 15 blogs dumped into my reader on a daily basis, so I read a great deal of blogs (most of which are about sports). I also used to write my own blog, but stopped because it’s extremely hard to both produce your own content and market your blog at the same time – meaning that no one was reading it.
The person who controls the content on independent blogs (in terms of sports – Deadspin, The Big Lead and With Leather among others) are the bloggers themselves. That’s what makes blogs important, in my opinion. There’s no editorial oversight, so we don’t have certain spin on things and our material isn’t censored by the gatekeepers either. Bluntly, there isn’t pressure from advertisors to censor certain things.
I think news organizations are promoters of free information distribution in the sense that they allow bloggers to use their information as a base/talking point to pursue new angles on stories and such. And, from the blogs that I read, the bloggers seem to appreciate good reporting and don’t have a cynical view on all of the main stream media, which is something that blogs have been labeled as having.
In terms of the accuracy question, I think both bloggers and the main stream media co-exist as accurate reporters of the news. In my opinion, the MSM takes the lead on this because they have more resources to go out and pursue stories, but if they do a poor job reporting a story that’s not accurate, bloggers will put in time to research and call them out for that (An example is a Woody Paige column two weeks ago where he made up something the Sacremento Kings coach said about the Denver Nuggets). This process seems to work very well.
Lastly, both bloggers and MSM reporters should be considered professionals, but their roles are different in reporting the news.
Blogging has evolved a lot more than I ever thought it would. I am not a blogger and actually am not really familiar with the practice. I don’t believe that any blogger, paid or not, should have rights into locker rooms. They are not journalists and do not have any one looking over their standards of work.
I agree with Terry McDonell, the editor of Sports Illustrated, that sports history does not belong to anyone, but to everyone that is interested. Restrictions on the number of pictures from a sporting event that can be posted on a website seems insignificant. The MLB and other sport associations want control over the information that is distributed about their programs because it affects their image.
This article points out the importance of investigative journalism. I also think its important for people to keep in mind that blogging is subject to the the opinions and perceptions of only the person writing.
Bloggers are becoming a bigger deal every day. Employees have even been fired for what they post on their blogs by the company they work for. Content in sports writing, is controlled by the media. Unless one attends the game, the media is the only real outlet to see and understand what has occurred. News organizations impede the free distribution of information that bloggers promote. If news were completely free, these news organizations would go out of business.
The final word on accuracy is split between blogs and news organizations. The blogs report the event as it happens, however organizations have the time to check facts, get quotes, and report on additional history and statistics.
Bloggers may be professionals if they are being paid, however unless they are checking accuracy and being skeptical, they are not journalists. Many bloggers, who do reporting, are amateur journalists. Blogs are created for a variety of reasons, though. Some are for fun, others are used as a journal, and my personal favorites are music blogs.
http://www.scopeproductions.blogspot.com is a blog that I am able to post on, although I rarely do. It is a great way to find out about new music and a trusting source of what new music is good music.
Bloggers are here to stay, so I imagine the Supreme Court will soon be involved for guidelines to follow.
Blogs are pretty much taking over, it seems like everyone has one. I guess if someone can make money off of what they write in their blog that would make them a professional of some sort, but at the same time they might not be very accurate, especially if the person doesn’t know anything about journalism or doesn’t check their facts or whatever. I guess really the only good thing about blogs is that people can read them within minutes of whatever it is they’re writing about. I don’t read any or write any.