WSJ Takes Issue With Blogs

[dutter]

The mainstream media has been accused many times of either misunderstanding or fearing the blogosphere. Since the Wall Street Journal is as mainstream as the Mississippi River, a damning indictment of blogs should carry some weight. Unless you look at it a little more closely.

More...

[MarSad]

I guess one could say bloggers are to journalists as outsourced position holders and H-1B visa holders are to US workers. Anyone willing to do the job at a lower cost should be hired - especially if they will work for FREE! If journalists "get it" now perhaps they will begin to write more stories about the hidden cost of the lost American jobs instead of focusing on the falsely inflated economic numbers due to the purchases made by those flooding into the country to take the jobs and the greatly inflated corporate profits from the cheap labor.

[rhiebert]

It's all about challenging the market share, simple sandbox ethics: "If I can't win, atleast make the other guy look bad."

[keywordguy]

Originally Posted by MarSad

I guess one could say bloggers are to journalists as outsourced position holders and H-1B visa holders are to US workers. Anyone willing to do the job at a lower cost should be hired - especially if they will work for FREE! If journalists "get it" now perhaps they will begin to write more stories about the hidden cost of the lost American jobs instead of focusing on the falsely inflated economic numbers due to the purchases made by those flooding into the country to take the jobs and the greatly inflated corporate profits from the cheap labor.

You are right on!!! Also, bloggers tend to cover stories and events that the main stream media won't. Example...Who cares that Donald Trump and Rosie O'Donald are calling each other names when there are many more important events and stories that won't get any coverage because they don't increase ratings.

[chrisJumbo]

Blogs are so popular because although many of them lack "journalistic" effort, they are at least honest (usually) that the information is their opinion.

Unlike newspapers presenting stories and pretending to be non-biased, but their true view coming out loud and clear instead of the news.

Blogs are also popular because it is a medium that helps people get their products noticed for "free".
How much would it cost me to get my products in the WSJ? I fear the answer.

Finally, how likely is it that I can get my views published in the WSJ? With Blogs, I don't have to compete with a million other editorials being sent and then hope that the biased editor can bring himself/herself to publish something they don't agree with.

[keywordguy]

Originally Posted by chrisJumbo

Blogs are so popular because although many of them lack "journalistic" effort, they are at least honest (usually) that the information is their opinion.

I think this is one reason many Americans are disheartened with daily news events and even the political process. The mainstream media claims to be unbiased, but we only get carefully crafted bits of information.

[Hurga]

Another thing that's nice about blogs is that there are no sponsors to worry about offending. You can present the news, or an editorial, absolutely straight. And, like people have said above, Blogs cover topics that aren't covered in the mainstream media. And then there's the fact that the newspaper is only published once a day (twice if there's a nightly edition). Blogs, or online news sources, can publish stories as they break. Because of this I rarely pick up a newspaper these days.

[Orikinla]

Joseph Rago's article is a public exhibition of his intellectual
ignorance based on his erroneous and ambiguous notions of weblogs.

Many bloggers are well educated professional journalists and others are
academics who have found more space in the blogosphere than in the MSM.

The Washington Post, Guardian, BBC and other major MSM have blogs and
even monitor and evaluate news posted on blogs.

I have reported breaking news on my Nigerian Times before the CNN and
other MSM news channels.

A generalization of blogs and bloggers as a mob on rampage in the
virtual world is wrong.

Dan Gillmor's Bayosphere is not Guerilla Journalism and I came from the
MSM to the blogosphere.

Joseph Rago should visit Global Voices Online and Nigerian Times and
read my articles on the war on terror and the war in Iraq and the Darfur
Crisis and compare notes with what he and his so called enlightened
colleagues have written in their MSM.

The Mainstream Media is going downstream.

The blogosphere is a celebration of citizen journalism and the freedom
of speech.

[ericdarby]

Its funny that the WSJ author who bashes blogs can't seem to see the arrogance of his own post. No one else knows how to write except us "journalists." I am surprised he didn't play the omnicient and condescending, and nonsensical "objective reporting" card as well.

[keywordguy]

Normally I wouldn't post as many times on a topic, but this one sparks a wide range of topics regarding blogs.

I agree with a previous post that in many cases news blogs can have breaking news even before any major news outlet can thing of picking it up.

How cool is this? Blogs such as WordPress and others allow editors to post information from their cell phones. You can even shoot video from you phone and post it to a blog.

I only see blogs growing...especially with Vlogging, you'll see niche blogs pop up and cover news with video that none of the major or even local media outlets would touch.

If main stream media is down on blogging / bloggers it's only because they see how easily they can loose market share....this is evident with everyone scammering to catch up with online video advertising.

[philcha]

Sturgeon's Law says "Ninety percent of everything is crud", and it applies to blogs too. The vast majority are self-indulgent drivel, but a few are informative and interesting, e.g. Pharyngula (biology & evolution) or Juicy Studio (web design), and there are great posts on other blogs, e.g. Deadly Genius (how the arts lost touch with the public in the early 20th century).

OK, a lot of even the good blogs are derivative, but if you learn which blogs you like they point you to material you find interesting - pretty much like the old media, including the WSJ.

[awhyms]

WSJ article regarding blogging is probably a ruse to get over-Starbucks-ed, red-eyed, internet weary, non-stop bloggers to react.

It's a pity that a new forum for idea exchange, company in-house training & communication, daily diary musing as well as new opportunities for businesses to generate leads is being painted as a medium for crazed internet junkies who have nothing better to do in their lives except hang out on their parents couches, go to raves, and play video games all day.

I have none of those interests and find this arena refreshing and challenging. I mean, if your in business and want to appeal to a targeted audience, how do you join or start a blog without looking like Simon Legreed?

I've always held the WSJ as a publication that recognizes innovation and applaudes creativity.

Some bloggers and their blogs perhaps do need a little bit of sobriety, because railing against 'the man' is sooo '60's and in the information millenium, there are more pressing needs in peoples' minds i.e. better education a cleaner environment and future prospects for our children.

Anyway, sorry to digress, blogging as entertainment, news sharing, business development and sometimes just plain fun can and should be fun, let's just make it possible for the people who read the papers also to see the benefit and perhaps leave the crazy stuff where it belongs...in our imaginations.

[SkeeterVT]

I really don't give a snark what the Wall Street Journal says about the blogosphere. . . The fact that it exists and is thriving is more of an indictment of the mainstream media than anything else. Rago's ranting about the blogosphere is nothing more than elitist claptrap, as many journalists themselves now write blogs.

And there are many bloggers -- including myself -- who break news that the mainstream media won't touch with a ten-foot pole because they're not in the interest of the mainstream media's corporate ownership. If Rago and other elitists in the mainstream media really did their jobs and served the public interest instead of the corporate interests of their bosses, we bloggers wouldn't need fill that void.

[Craig Mackintosh]

Mr. Rago can be excused for wanting to protect his position as the voice of society, but his ignoble effort will only hurt his cause.

This rail against the blogosphere reaks of elitism - statements like "gratifying the mediocrity of the masses" insinuate the planet's residents are a feeble-minded "mob", who are in dire need of his guidance.

One aspect of reporting that many seem to overlook is that it's a specialisation. Full-time reporters are good at exactly that - reporting. They may know nothing of the subject they write upon - and must, ultimately, extract and balance the opinions of the experts involved.

One of the beauties of the blogosphere is direct expression - rather than news filtered through cynical abstractions and attempts at entertainment, I can get first-hand reports from the people 'on the ground', the people in the know.

If Mr. Rago and his peers are indeed literarily superior, then he has nothing to worry about. The "mob" will fail to satisfy, and will be no competition at all.

[Humourous1]

At this time of year you would think that key players would understand that their are very few countries that have freedom of speach.

We are the privilage few world wide, so why do we always have to judge what we perceive is right. I look through a lot of this content to see what is happening in our world of business not to see who did what or why.

We have to get back to the basics and just listen. Everyone regardless of internet clout has something that we all can learn from.

The topic lately has been Google Google Google. No wonder they are number one each and every one of us blogging or talking about them is free advertising. I sure wish I could be that smart.

Keep up the good work for regardless of ideas and difference of oppinion all of you weekly bloggers stimulate our minds with new content and ideas.

Merry Christmas
From a Webmaster who loves what he is doing.
Randy Gibbons
604 886 2855

Remember feeling that tomorrow is the first day of he rest of your successful life stimulates the mind.

[lookstare]

Blogs have allowed people a true voice in politics, and other aspects of life. When the main steam media releases their usually politically contaminated view of the events that transpire on a daily basis, we have the chance to give our viewpoints from a more realistic and heartfelt perspective. This makes it more interesting and appealing for people to read and reflect upon, and this is taking away the credibility of most mainstream outlets out there.

Of course the end result of the evolutionary changes in the media are cutting into the profit side of some of these non technologically driven media outlets and as expected they are reacting negatively to what the general public has welcome with open arms.

Fr. Abad Perez
http://lookstare.com/blog

[SkeeterVT]

Originally Posted by SkeeterVT

I really don't give a snark what the Wall Street Journal says about the blogosphere. . . The fact that it exists and is thriving is more of an indictment of the mainstream media than anything else. Rago's ranting about the blogosphere is nothing more than elitist claptrap, as many journalists themselves now write blogs.

And there are many bloggers -- including myself -- who break news that the mainstream media won't touch with a ten-foot pole because they're not in the interest of the mainstream media's corporate ownership. If Rago and other elitists in the mainstream media really did their jobs and served the public interest instead of the corporate interests of their bosses, we bloggers wouldn't need fill that void.

I neglected to mention my own blog -- a weekly cyberspace version of a newspaper column, really -- which normally covers politics, but this week, with the holiday season upon us, is about the holidays -- more specifically, how they evolved.

I invite you visit it at http://skeeter-bites.blogspot.com. If the link fails to work, just copy and paste the URL into the Web page search box.

Happy Holidays,
Skeeter

[richardhenricks]

The "sandbox" analogy was apt. To take it a step further, the way bloggers are (sometimes) treated these days could easily be classified as classic whistle-blower retaliation.

Mainstream news media fear freelance bloggers because anyone with a brain and an Internet connection can pen news stories, suck off advertising dollars and make “accredited” journalists look like amateurish fruitcakes (2004 presidential election comes to mind).

As bloggers expose these weaknesses by default with their actions—with their blogs—newspapers, news magazines and television attempt to recapture credibility by targeting the bloggers’ credibility.

It’ll never work.

Rich / Budapest
http://www.richardhenricks.info/

[Craig Mackintosh]

Sorry to post twice - but here is a blinding example of why the MSM fails. Read about an accident, Dec 23, with a truck carrying reactor grade uranium - the story was pulled by CNN, and quashed by U.S. Homeland Secrity:

http://washingtonscandal.blogspot.co...identmore.html

[BGWEWRITER]

All I know is that I get the majority of my news on everything from entertainment to world affairs from a variety of blogs. Blogs allow me to read views from the left, right and middle and compare them to form my own opinion. No mainstream media outlet offers the same opportunity.

[Humourous1]

BGWEWRITER

I totally fell the same way as you do and to further that notion because it is people like you and me that are willing to voice an opinion these blags will live on.

Nice to see that there is power in numbers. So often the direction any subject takes is directly related to money. In lots of cases these blogs are based on human feelings and observations.

I know blogging and forums do nothing but good for the writer as long as the subject is directly related to the discussion at hand but the personal touch or point of view feels good.

Take Care Because We Care
Randy Gibbons