24 septembre 2004 11:16

All people of Islam whol want to do God's will should take note that Alla willed that all of mankind be free

18 juillet 2004 16:33

I agree that bloogers are a new and potentially important aspect of how the internet is changing the communication/media landscape. I support bloogers. But to provide media credentials at national political conventions is a real stretch. It is like allowing day care providers to be university professors, medical or legal personnel. Today journalists are already held in public disrepect, and to add on foul mouthed and trite comments from "pretend journalists" will not advance public discourse.

15 juillet 2004 11:00

I think bloggers compliment journalists by linking and commenting on news. For years I was sick and tired of the relentless barrage of negative news with so-called unbiased journalism but now that blogs have taken off I can read the morning news through the opinions of other people.

It sparks debates and discussions, invites the sharing of information and expands my mind more than simply sitting and reading the paper or watching the news.

Of course without journalists we'd have little to talk about. I just think many of them are getting a wee bit nervous because some bloggers, while lacking journalism credentials are better writers.

15 juillet 2004 09:14

On my side, I agree that I am not a journalist. And I could not become one even if a poking stick were to attack me relentlessly for 6 straight days.

I give my opinion. I talk about things that are related to my life, things I see important or fit.

I make vocal my ideas, while not being constantly repressed to small "comment" boxes where you will be forgotten 24 hours after the story (At least my stories stay on the main page for a few days on my site). And at least, I get to SAY OUT LOUD my opinions, as compared as being shoved to a "letters" section of conventional press where a few selected comments are shown.

Free to anyone to actually link to my stories, comment on them, do like I am currently doing. Free to any journalist to actually think what I write is interesting and use what I say in their show/paper (assuming they follow my Creative Commons license of course).

15 juillet 2004 07:19

Ah, such a lovely topic that can stir endless debates! I love the line where professor McPhail says "They're certainly not committed to being objective."

Maybe professor McPhail ought to a) get out of his classroom and check out the real world; b) do a review of the "official" press coverage of the Iraq war; c) read up a bit on convergence and look at media coverage in relation to media ownership.

Yes, it is true, a "blog journalist" isn't committed to being objective. However, a "blog journalist" isn't committed to kissing up to his boss, nor to the editorial policy of the media paying his salary. The "blog journalist" may very well state his opinions along with the facts and guess what? There is not a damn thing wrong with that. In fact, I have the pretension to think it may even be a better deal.

You know why?

Simply because with a blog, the reader is aware from the word "go" that he is getting some information AND an opinion. In the "real" media, he has to guess what is truly information and what is editorial slant imposed by management and the owner.

Considering the few cases that were brought to light over the last few months of "journalists" in highly credible media who were exposed for fraudulent stories - Jason Blair of the New York Times and Jack Kelley of USA Today and nominee for the Pulitzer Prize come to mind - I would not demean bloggers as "pretend journalists".

While they may not be "journalists" in the sense that they may not have followed a course labelled "journalism", they are often less tied down to all the pressures of "real" journalism.

Ethics, objectivity, thoroughness and good writing are not the exclusive domain of those who work for mainstream media. The difference with a blogger wanting credentials and a journalist for a big media wanting credentials is simple: the blogger has to prove himself over and over. The one with the official job doesn't have to do anything more than show a business card...