After repeating some of Wonkette
‘s numbers, Sullivan mused, “A Kerry landslide? Could be. Could be.” He cautioned the numbers could be misleading, even as he was publicizing them.This is the kind of stuff we used to run in my aforementioned school paper, when the speculation surrounded who was going steady. The difference is that the bloggers aspire to being a force in our public life and claim to be at the forefront of a new political-media era. It was clear to me, from following their efforts that night, that, unlike journalists, some blog operators who are quick to trash the MSM not only do
n’t care about the veracity of the stories they are spreading, they do not understand when there is a live hand grenade on their keyboard. They appear not to care. Their concern is for controversy and “hits.” —Eric Engberg —Blogging As Typing, Not Journalism (CBS News)
And, of course, the big conclusion:
One of the verdicts rendered by election night 2004 is that, given their lack of expertise, standards and, yes, humility, the chances of the bloggers replacing mainstream journalism are about as good as the parasite replacing the dog it fastens on.
While I wouldn’t have put it quite so viciously, I think Engberg is right to point out the flaws in the “blogging equals journalism” meme.
Blogging is a good thing. Journalism is a good thing. Journalists can blog. Bloggers can do journalism.
Bloggers need not be parasites on journalism, and journalism need not scorn blogging.
Nevertheless, the essay makes a good case for the dinosaurs.
Agreed. There are serious news shows, and ones that hype Hollywood celebrities in order to attract eyeballs and sell ads. Ratings translate to dollars, while usually hits are simply ego boosters (though if a blogger is popular enough, it may translate to book sales, speaking engagements, etc.). A blogger isn’t really hurt by a blogging stunt that goes too far, at least not in the same way that an overager journalist might be disciplined by a superior, or the show itself may lose advertising dollars. It’s all about control. The internet gives all kinds of people, including those with and without training, with and without a desire to be fair to views that differ from their own, and with and without the critical thinking skills that help them see subtlety and wisdom that teaches them when to hold back.
The only solution I see is education — get people to seek out opposing views, so that they don’t live in a bubble of people who say and think the same things they do, so that they get in the habit of critiquing their own viewpoints and listening to (and offering) constructive criticism rather than ranting in fury at those who dare to disagree with them.
While he may make a good case for the MSM, it seems just a bit ironic that a CBS figure is skewering the blogging world for a lack of journalistic standards. Also, he seems to be forgetting that hits are the internet equivalent of ratings, something CBS News certainly knows something about trying to garner.