wa054010@ohio.edu
A Blogger in a Journalist's World
While blogs and bloggers have been integrated into Internet culture for more than 10 years, there are still questions as to where it fits in journalism. Some would argue that it does not, like Agnes Poirier in The Guardian, while others proclaim that it is the future.
There is certainly reason to believe that, looking at some blogs that have been spread around the web, blogging can be the lazy, cheap half-brother of the journalism world. As my experiences with blogging recently has taught me, however, blogging can have its merits.
What Blogging Taught Me
The more experience I gain as a rising journalist, the more I feel the need to associate myself as a blogger before a journalist. Whether they are one in the same is arguable, but my experience in it have taught me that that seems to be where the future of the industry is heading.
Over the summer, I started my own blog The Watching World, where I post reviews, news and editorial pieces about what is happening currently in film and television news. This came after years of experience working with The Post's blog and gaining experience about blogging from a variety of other sources.
Through working in blogs, I have learned that what really separates blogs from traditional journalism, beyond the immediacy of it, is its intimacy. There is more breathing room, more chances to express one's own thoughts, opinions and feelings. It loses some of the professionalism, but there's a sense of reliability to it that helps gain a new audience. I feel that blogs are better at gaining a perspective into the topics at hand and creating an identity to which readers can relate.
With this said, however, I do not believe that blogs should take over entirely what we now believe to be the field of journalism. Rather it should be one piece in the larger picture. As Jacob Friedman writes in his piece, "Blogging vs. Journalism: The Ongoing Debate," "a fresh new crop of journalists have learned the skills of journalism on fan blogs and have been snapped up by larger media sources because of their specialized expertise."
Being a young journalist, I believe that blogging has been able to teach me the rising steps I need to know to become a journalist, as it demonstrates my ability to write in a timely manner while letting me progress in a medium that's quick, cheap and accessible. In the comfort of my own home, I am able to report the news that is happening around me without spending a dime.
As Paul Bradshaw was quoted in the article "How Blogging Gives Student Journalists an Edge in the Job Market," "“It’s still easy to stand out from the crowd if you can get great stories or engage a community in powerful ways. Too few students do the latter. The students who are doing data journalism and visualisation are standing out, and also multimedia work.”
Where It Stands
It could be argued that writing about the advantages of blogging for a blog is a bit self-serving. Whether or not that is the case, I do believe that blogging has a place in journalism. How big its role should be is up for debate, but I do believe that, based on my experiences, that it is a vital tool for teaching the fundamentals of journalism.
It is also a great way for journalists to express themselves and gain a personality in their work. That personality may not be what every journalist wants, but for those that do, blogging is a great venue to do so.
No comments:
Post a Comment