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]

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]

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.