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Blogging News Stories - The New Journalism
by
Denise Palmer
Blogging news stories as they unfold, in real-time, is
one of the most exciting and controversial applications of blogging
today.
Blogging news stories as they unfold, in real-time, is
one of the most exciting and controversial applications of blogging
today. One Blogging New Journalism thing that makes the blogosphere so
active is the fact that it is possible to update a blog instantaneously,
so the news on blogs tends to be more current than the news in the
paper, or on television. Unlike traditional news media, news that
appears on blogs does not have to travel through a maze of editors and
administrators before it's delivered to the general public. This "New
Journalism" has some advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.
One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog
before appearing in traditional media took place in July 2005 when
terrorism struck London. As passengers were evacuated from a subway car
near an explosion, one man took several photographs of the scene with
his cellular phone, and within an hour these images were posted online.
First-person accounts of the catastrophe began appearing on blogs, soon
after these photos appeared, and people all over the world learned about
the events in London by reading the words and seeing the photos posted
by bloggers.
The fact that these stories and images were being
shared directly by individuals operating without the added filter of a
reporter, made the crisis feel very immediate and personal to people
across the globe.
Individuals sharing information across open,
unfiltered communication channels, known as social networking, is a way
of life in the Happy News Reporters blogosphere. When it comes to
blogging news stories, individuals report in a very personal context,
thus making the information that much more appealing to the mass
blogging audience. This has the potential to be the beginning of an
exciting new era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism" to it's
logical next step by putting the power to shape how the news is written
and read directly into the hands of the public.
Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are
champions of the movement feel that this growing trend; of individuals
sharing and receiving their news from blogs, is a good thing as it
facilitates a more democratic flow of information. Neutralizing the
control of information, by blogging news stories, allows more voices to
be heard on important current events.
However, there are many that would, and do, disagree.
Those that oppose "New Journalism" argue that unlike traditional media,
blogs do not provide for a fact check and therefore there is no
accountability measures in place. This can result in a very rapid and
massive spread of misinformation. In fact, more than one such
"falsehood" has taken the blogosphere by storm.
The debate over whether blogging news stories, as they
happen and whether it is ethical or not, can become very complicated,
but no matter which side of this debate you stand on relative to
blogging news stories, you are almost sure to agree that this movement,
"New Journalism", IS revolutionizing how modern people get their news.
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