August 09, 2006

Citizen journalism vs. traditional journalism. "...the content of most citizen journalism will be familiar to anybody who has ever read a church or community newsletter—it’s heartwarming and it probably adds to the store of good things in the world, but it does not mount the collective challenge to power which the traditional media are supposedly too timid to take up." Do you agree?
posted by HawthorneWingo 18 years ago
  • What? A Harvard graduate and Dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism takes and elitist position and thinks that old style professional journalism is better than amature journalism???? Who would have guessed???
  • Because only those who have been properly taught to mangle the facts should have the sole right to do so, jccalhoun. Who do these otherwise-educated philistines think they are, with their fancy blogs and their lack of obedience to media corporations and investors?
  • Nope. Citizen journalism is not as influenced by advertising as traditional journalism is.
  • Nor is it as influenced by accuracy and fact-checking. Traditional journalism has its problems, but I think citizen journalism has even more.
  • Depends on the citizen journalist. I usually fact check my rants.
  • >>Nor is it as influenced by accuracy and fact-checking. Yeah- when Bush says something, traditional journalists check to MAKE SURE that he said it before presenting it as fact.
  • Nope. Citizen Journalism on the web is not that different to pamphleteering and libel printing that has been going on for the past forever and more years. Tell Thomas Paine or Marx or perhaps the Anti-vivisectionists on Oxford street each weekend that they are/were farting in a storm. If the swarm like consciousness of the online can be focused for a moment then it can pose a challenge to power, a challenge that traditional media seem too comfortable to provide. Or something.
  • When ever people question blogs as serious journalism, I tell them to check out the investigation of Jeff Gannon at AmericaBlog and DailyKos.
  • Good professional journalism can never be surpassed by the best amateur journalists. Thats's not to say that good professional journalism is eay to find these days. A lot of column space is wasted in the local daily on opinion columnists. They read the hard news headlines and digest it so you don't have to suffer any indigestion. Real fact-checking and investigational journalism is hard work and can't be done the night of deadline. It's much easier to flick on CNN and form opinions that will attract your average reader. Trolling the web for information can generally lead to misinformation and is probably about as useful as watching CNN. Wikipedia is not a great source of information. Investigational journalism is about going directly to good sources and asking the right questions. That takes a lot of practice and knowledge. Many expert sources for factual information are not going to sit down to be interviewed by every blogger on the web, they would rather be interviewed by a few well-known and respected journalists. Professional journalists get mucho access to the right people compared to the average blogger.
  • Well, I think that depends on your definition of "the right people." Is access to politicians and millionairres "the right people" or is it the little guy in the street? Is a story about who a politician sleeps with better than a story about someone down the street who did something? Is news just about the people with money or is it about people? What makes an expert and expert and what are they experts in? I am very very cynical about journalism because I see so many news outlets just publishing press releases or relying on the same sources over and over or obsessing about the latest white woman to turn up missing.
  • jccalhoun made funny: Well, I think that depends on your definition of "the right people." Michael Jackson You are mixing up good journalism with bad. Bad journalists cite sources from the work of others, good journalists get information directly from competent sources. For good journalism see sites like AJR or CJR. I think the main reason you are so cynical is because you read crap and the Weekly World News.
  • michael jackson??
  • Bad journalists cite sources from the work of others, good journalists get information directly from competent sources. Good journalists also look for stories, and sources, where lesser journalists might not. Which is where bloggers can and have shown their value vis-a-vis mainstream-outlet journalists. Good professional journalism can never be surpassed by the best amateur journalists is not the kind of thing a good journalist would ever say.
  • And the "you read crap and the Weekly World News" comment was, simply, out of line.
  • Ooh. Call him a "poopieface." That's my favorite part.
  • HawthorneWingo wingo'd: And the "you read crap and the Weekly World News" comment was, simply, out of line. I do declare! I hope ah didn't upset your delicate sensibilities. I also hope you didn't believe that I was a "good journalist" or a journalist at all. As if. Wingo on, son and wingo lightly.
  • Made no assumptions whatsoever, other than the assumption that you're a bit of a prick.
  • Hey, a bit more creativity with the namecalling! At least make it entertaining if you're going to call each other names, please. Maybe in the form of a sonnet?
  • A challenge! When Hawthorne swears that JJ is a prick I do believe him, though I know he snarks, Tho' you might think me some untutor'd dick, Unlearned in the 'Filter's monkey larks. This vain exchange of rather pointless bile, Although we know our time is better spent, Simply I credit Summer's swelter vile: On both sides thus is simple anger vent. But wherefore says Trace this be crude and coarse? And wherefore join I all unbidden to the fray? O, Bashi best enjoys a sweet discourse, And I in cups of wine have spent the day: Therefore I do as told and like it well, The rest of you can all just go to hell. Sorry, Will
  • oh tricycle, oh tricycle! there's no one quite like tricycle! for he's a steely admin dude who's cooler than an icicle. he's the befuddlement of spamming bots the one-post-wonders' bane, and if he wants each curse in verse he doesn't need explain.
  • Who's this Jimmy Jay? That's the question I ask. She can dish but not take it, When taken to task. She should learn civility Or crawl back under her rock Unless she wants to, repeatedly, Be called a, um, rude person. Inspired by tracicle, he whom I admire so well.
  • tracicle youse are dum I hope youse develop an irritating itch on youses bum ha ha ha! wait shit umm now I'm gonna get banned unless I can escape in the interregnum sorry mum.
  • Oh Trucicle, oh Trucicle, When Monkeys are abusical, Navigates the spinning threads Witch hick’ry switch and cooler head.
  • Who's the admin of the blog That's made for you and me? T-R-A, C-I-C, SILENT Q, L-E. Hey! there, Hi! there - woah there That's spelled weird, don't you agree? T-R-A, C-I-C, SILENT Q, L-E. Tracicqle! Tracicqle! She's the nonphonetic admin that I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE! If she just had one more letter In her name, then she would be T-R-A, C-I-C, SILENT Q, L-E.
  • the uidnunc kid?
  • Washington Post Changes Boehner Quote on Foley (pronounced 'B-A-Yner') but not before bloggers caught the original.
  • So it seems much data nowadays is never checked. Which makes it easier to desseminate misinformation, whether wittingly or otherwise.
  • Huh?
  • It's okay. Michelle Malkin's going to parachute into Baghdad and sort everything out.
  • That was actually the plan several years ago, but due to inaccurate military planning, she actually parachuted up her own ass and has been commenting from there ever since. Ba-da-bump