NEW MEDIA IN JOURNALISMBut does the ability to post “news” make just anyone a reporter? Can
anyone write anything they want? In this section, you’ll learn about the
role blogs, Web sites such as YouTube and mobile devices play in the
world of journalism. You’ll also learn about the pitfalls of posting and of
believing everything you read.
Blogging Minds Want to Know
Though Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam called them an “infinite echo
chamber of self-regard,” blogs—personal online journals—have become
an undeniable source of online communication and news dissemination.
In fact, in October 2005, it was reported that there were 19.6 million blogs
(short for “Weblogs”) on the Internet, with nearly 70,000 more being cre-
ated every day. And it’s not just the average person “with an axe to grind”
starting blogs or posting on them. Newspaper reporters and columnists,
broadcast journalists, authors, celebrities, athletes and politicians all have
blogs. Blogs offer all of these people a more immediate medium than news-
papers or television to share news or to publicize an opinion.
Some blogs, such as Daily Kos and Talking Points, have such a large num-
ber of readers that they have their own reporting staffs and advertisements
on their Web sites. Adding to their popularity, many blog sites also have a
feature that allows readers to comment on what the blogger has written.
Blog readers can post their opinions and instantly receive feedback from
other readers. Reporters regularly scan blogs and the corresponding com-
ments to get story ideas.
Blogs have become an important part of the political process—much like
television did when the first debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard
Nixon aired. Republicans and Democrats debated issues during campaigns
on hundreds of different blogs. Candidates began reading blogs to get a
sense of public sentiments, and candidates such as Howard Dean began
using bloggers, or people who write blogs, to raise money and spread his
message.
For the 2008 election, candidates such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama,
Mitt Romney and Rudolph W. Giuliani started their own blogs. Visitors
to Clinton’s blog, for example, got the latest news about her, saw her cam-
paign commercials (uploaded from YouTube), posted their own comments,
donated money to her campaign, planned events, joined or started groups
or even started their own blogs. Other bloggers supported the candidate of
their choice.
Some think that bloggers have encouraged more mainstream journalists
to report on stories they might have ignored in the past. For example, in
2002 Senator Trent Lott praised Strom Thurmond for running for president
in 1948 as a segregationist. The media barely mentioned it. Bloggers, includ-
ing Joshua Micah Marshall on the Talking Points blog, were quick to point
out that this type of comment wasn’t unusual for Lott. The media finally ran
with the story, and Lott was forced to step down as Senate majority leader.
Politicians haven’t been the only subject of bloggers. CBS News anchor
Dan Rather was criticized by bloggers who claimed his reporting was flawed.
They claimed that a report on George W. Bush’s military service was based
on unverified documents. Some believe that the fallout from these blogs
forced Rather to resign from CBS.
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blogger
a person who writes a blogblog
a personal online journalUNITED STATES, February
2005—Founded in a garage
in Menlo Park, CA, YouTube
(YouTube.com) was officially
launched in December. It
quickly changed the news
and entertainment world and
became the leading place for
millions of users to watch and
share videos.
In 2006, Google acquired
YouTube. By 2007, dozens
of national brands—such as
CBS, Coca-Cola, GMC and
Sundance—were partnering
with YouTube as a way to pro-
mote and market their prod-
ucts and services and learn
more about their customers.