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09.13.05
The
Blogitorial: The Print/Online Hybrid
 By
Jason Lee Miller
At the turn of the 20th century, citizen journalism (then referred to as a letter
to the editor) was considered an innovative and progressive idea. Giving the reader
a voice in the news was unheard of at that point. Fast-forward a hundred years
(give or take), and take note of the web log, the brave and testy incarnation
of a new millennium.
The next turn of the century is witnessing a similar development, an extension
to the conversation. It is quickly becoming obvious that, print especially, news
agencies are embracing citizen journalism as a supplement to their coverage. In
fact, in order to keep an edge on the competition, even to take measures against
the increasing threat to print obsolescence, newspapers are extending the conversation
in real time on the Webface of their publications. It's only a matter of time
until a newsblog, or blogitorial, is a standard feature.
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One might expect something so progressive from Yahoo! News, who just signed Kevin
Sites, formerly of NBC and CNN, to be their premiere content correspondent,
"backpacking" through war zones and running an online discussion at hotzone.yahoo.com.
Yahoo!, obviously, is not a limb of the traditional news dinosaur.
But when the established print media does a double take of what's happening and
begins working it into their strategy, it is a move to notice. The Washington
Post may be the most recent example of a major news organization recognizing the
value of the blog, adding Technorati to its source list to "become part of a broader
national conversation," as Jim Brady, washingtonpost.com executive director, said.
Steve Outing outlines an interesting example of what direction this train is going
in "The 11
Layers of Citizen Journalism." Outing suggests that along with selected stories,
written by staff reporters, readers are given the opportunity to contribute to
the news to further enhance the information.
"Here's an example: A series of car break-ins is occurring at trailhead parking
lots in your area. A reporter writes a short article about the problem, identifying
some of the locations of the vandalism. As a sidebar to the conventionally written
story, trail users are invited to post their experiences of having their cars
broken into, including submitting photos," writes Outing.
He goes on to admit the potential for libel issues, which is why news organizations
employing this journalism hybrid should filter and edit responses as they would
in printed material.
The purists in the industry, while recognizing the potential of a powerful new
medium, raise concern about the fine line between reporting and editorializing,
an area becoming increasingly grayed by the advent of online citizen journalism.
But as one of these purists, David Greer, member services director of the Kentucky
Press Association, knows that blogs will become a force to be reckoned with.
"We're not sure what role the weblog will play in the future. But I don't
think newspapers can afford to ignore these trends," Greer told WebProNews.
While the legal and legitimacy issues of bringing weblogs into the journalism
family remain, they are merely kinks the system will eventually work out. We can
expect the weblog, in some form, to be as prominent, if not more so, than the
traditional letter to the editor.
About the Author:
Jason L. Miller is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. |
