Mmh… Certainly a debatable question. In the simple definition of journalism as journalising events, then yes, blogging is certainly journalism and has enabled anyone out there to be a journalist. But when considering the professional definitions of a journalist in terms of news values, fact-checking, credibility, then perhaps blogging should be seen rather as a mere tool of expressing opinion. Being a journalist myself, I would certainly want to preserve the conventional ideology of what a journalist is and what journalism is – so my answer should be no, blogging is not journalism in the professional sense, but a form of complementary journalism. However, I believe there’s no concrete answer here. I would be fooling myself if I didn’t recognise the advantages of blogging FOR the journalistic profession. Think of the 9/11 attacks, for instance, where the blogs of the public gave us a more intimate, real and perhaps truthful reflection of the actual event and its impact, than any news article quoting economical analysts could – and it was immediate and interactive.
News blogging is certainly a form of journalism that I believe journalists should tap into and use to their advantage – it’s a more comprehensive way of reporting as long as you allow comments on a particular topic so that a conversation can flow. Successful news blogs who have done this include the Mail & Guardian’s Thought Leader blog. (Check out Anton Harber’s blog and Arthur Goldstuck’s Amablogoblogo).
Blogging certainly makes journalism easier. It adds to and complements the profession and in major way shapes the future of journalism.
The counter-argument here could be the ruthlessness with which people use blogging as a form of venting and shifting the focus of a particular issue. Then there’s issues of credibility and ethics, the journo in me says.
The question should then not be whether blogging is journalism, but whether the term journalism is at all relevant today. Blogging makes terms like ‘journalist’, ‘news’, and ‘truth’ seem archaic and we need to rethink them. At the same time, we need to rethink the journalistic profession because through blogging, and other technologies such as cellphone cameras, citizen journalists have been born.
5 Comments
May 27, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Interesting comment regarding the word journal and its link to journalism. I presume that the profession of journalism arose as a means of recording events in the 18th century, where the modern ethics of balance, fairness and accuracy did not exist.
Consequently the archaic idea of the partisan journalist may have more in common with the modern blogger than many of us think!
May 27, 2008 at 2:29 pm
We should revisit what makes a journalist – we do seem to be protecting our turf to the detriment of fresh ideas.
May 27, 2008 at 2:32 pm
One of the biggest problems with journalism is the defenition thereof. Unlike professions such as doctors, lawyers etc. anyone can call him or herself a journalist and truly believe that they are! There are no entry qualifications or criteria for journalists unlike the professions mentioned and there will probably never be. This leaves the way open for anybody to be a “journalist”.
May 27, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Speak of a dog chasing its tale! Blogging can only be regarded as Journalism if the blogger subscribes to the “rules of Journalists” : stating who, what, when, where and why, then balance what they know with info they gather. I suppose it would need to be up-to-date (which bloggers / journalists really bother to do this?), balanced (would a “basic blogger” have the know how of achieving this?), informative (Sometime it not what said but how its said?), interesting, educational. The “rules” would need to be qualified by the authenticity of the actual blog and the info contained on the blog, the dedication and commitment of the Blogger to his Blog. Journalists, I believe, can be bloggers, yes BUT: Not All Bloggers can be regarded as journalists.RE:
“”"There are no entry qualifications or criteria for journalists”"” Just a thought…… “Writers are all people, not all people are writers”
October 25, 2008 at 3:50 pm
[...] journalism, though anarchic in potential, is not necessarily anarchic in practice. Take blogging for example, which is the medium that immediately comes to mind when someone thinks of [...]