Lasica on right
New Media Musings: It’s not journalism — it’s ‘just a blog’ — Here is an interesting post from blog nut JD Lasica. A former newspaper editor he’s been around the block but has landed in the Twilight Zone of bloggerdom — that soft spot that demands blogs become real professional people’s journalism despite the fact that there are no editors and few bloggers have been trained as writers or researchers. This stems from a reactionary desire to return to the days of Tom Paine.
This need, part of a movement called “grassroots journalism,” sometimes results in incredible comments from JD and others. In the case of this post it has to do with a local Boston blog that was bought out by the Boston Globe. The blog is an online gossipy fanzine. In this instance apparently the blogger took the bait of someone setting him up with bad information which he reprinted. Here’s is where it gets funny. First read the account below taken from the Bruce Allen holier-than-thou editorial that triggered the Lasica post:
Recently there was uproar over a report on BostonDirtDogs that stated that Nomar Garciaparra was not interested in receiving a World Series ring. According to this report, Nomar is quoted as having answered a fan during a signing session at Cubs spring training in Arizona who asked if he was excited about receiving a World Series ring from the Red Sox: “I don’t want it. They can keep it.”
This item appeared on BostonDirtDogs on February 25th, 2005, with the alleged quotes from Nomar in bold headline print, and underneath a picture of Nomar, there was, also in bold
Allen then goes through hoops to prove that the DirtDogs post was BS. He beats it to death. (While defending defamatory online forums). What set me off is the following line that shows up in the column:
Does a news organization take an anonymous email and run with it to publication on something as significant as this?
I’m reading this and thinking, “Significant?” Significant? What is wrong with you people. In the scheme of things with a war in Iraq, terrorist threats, corruption everywhere these jokers are all bent out of shape because of the “significance” of some baseball player wanting or not wanting a stinking ring!! Who gives a crap? Get a grip boys!
Lasica finishes with a meta comment:
Hey, guys, Jason is right: We are going to hold BostonDirtDogs to the same editorial standards as the rest of the site, but we’re going to work really hard NOT to squelch its spirit.
Oh, puh-leeeze!
What’s he doing in that picture? It looks like he’s rolling a booger. Very funny post, John. Lasica and Allen deserve each other.
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I recently made the argument that some bloggers are journalists. Wikopedia says journalists are:
Regardless of medium, the term journalist carries a connotation or expectation of professionalism in reporting, with consideration for truth and ethics. It should be added that some journals, such as the downmarket, scandal-led tabloids, do not make great claims to truth or ethical reporting.
Now, if some slime-bag-photographer-in-Brittany-Spear’s-bushes is a journalist, then I really don’t see why some bloggers aren’t too. There are no educational requirements to be a journalist, no pay (some work for free) so where’s te difference? An editor? I’ll give you that one, but I suspect a one-person newspaper would still rate that one person a journalist.
Of course, lots of blogs are not written by journalists, but I think the argument that none of them are journalists is just traditional bias. (Rediculous fanzines not really being my idea of being credible.)
To be honest about it, I feel that bloggers are journalists and should be considered journalists if they want to be. I think most bloggers just want to blog and talk about their hobby or family and don’t give a rats ass about the moniker. I’m just annoyed by the “blogging will save journalism and save the world” crowd trying to make more out of the medium than it is. It’s just a cheap-ass (in a good sense) publishing tool and content management system, no more, no less.