In a recent poll, we asked Internet Evolution readers about the future of blogs -- whether they'll be the dominant news medium, or supportive to it, or if they'll disappear entirely.
Out of the readers who weighed in on the survey, 50 percent expect blogs to "supplement traditional news content" going forward. The second-largest group, 30 percent, think all news content will be blog-based.
But what am I telling you for? Everyone loves an image, so here:
To be sure, the question didn't specify whether we were referring to print or online news because the medium itself is irrelevant here. What we're wondering is whether blogs will become the dominant form for reporting news -- and half of those who took this poll believe they won't.
Perhaps one of Internet Evolution's readers, bri77, best expresses why in this message board post:
Call me old-fashioned, but I will always trust news content that has been through a few cycles of editing and fact-checking more than a news blog. I do read news blogs and enjoy them for their timely content, but if I want the best, most in-depth information, I'll seek out traditional news.
Plenty of people in the Web community are more than eager to downplay the differences between journalism and blogging, casting aside reporters as hacks easily replaceable by regular people with an iPhone Blogger app.
But our readers have expressed numerous times that, while blogs are great, a blog is not a replacement for journalism. In an earlier poll, the majority of IE readers said they wouldn't mind losing print as long as "quality" reporting didn't die with it.
Depending on one's definition of "quality," that might be hard to come by in a blog.
Particularly in the tech space, bloggers are pushing the manila envelope a bit, testing things like "beta journalism" -- a.k.a., posting a half-story and letting the readers fill in with facts, fixes, and correct information. You know, things that those silly "traditional" reporters would have to worry about themselves. Well, that's all hogwash now. We're a community and as a community we share the workload: I'll do half of my job, and you'll do the rest, and together we can create (dun, dun, DUN!) a news story.
While journalists are by no means perfect, with things like beta journalism and -- sigh -- citizen journalism threatening to establish greater relevance, it's no surprise that our readers are clinging to quality like Anderson Cooper to a mirror.
Ahem.
Bloggers are starting to see a bit of a backlash, as some rules are cropping up to keep them in line with regular old reporters. The FTC recently said bloggers are going to have to disclose gifts and payment from vendors when doing product reviews, for example.
But will the creatures of the blogosphere be reined in to the point where their work is considered as reliable or as worthwhile as a traditional reported story? To the point where news stories go by the wayside? Our readers aren't so confident.
Good point, RIMMAN. A blog's a blog: Some so-called journalist bloggers are arrogant enough to use their editorial entre and influence to bully or intimidate those they disagree with or who displease them. I'd rather have in-your-face social media blogs any day.
When I'm seeking news, give me a news story, not a blog.
One trend I've noted in the mainstream news media, print, online, and on the Web: They seem bent to audiences seeking entertainment. News is delivered on TV as though it were a video blog.
If that's the case, we're only seeing reflected in the media what we have asked for, and we need to do some soul searching.
I have to agree with jwallace that blogs are the OpEd equivalent of news, whether they're from a mainstream news source (WSJ, NYT) or otherwise. They're typically the opinion of one, many times supported by numerous citations... but the citations are frequently those of other bloggers, not "formally published sources".
Does this matter? Sure it does, if you want factual information instead of opinion. There is always value in hearing what others have to say on a topic, but if you want to provide the information to others, and be taken seriously when you do, you need to cite your sources. When you cite "some guy/gal on the blah blah blawg said" you generally get raised eyebrows in response.
I don't find WSJ or NYT blogs to be any more reliable just because of the name behind them; I've never seen a published editorial policy that states they need to have 2 or 3 corroborating sourcves confirming the content before it's 'published'. And I've seen them cite other bloggers in their stories as well.
For me, it's kind of like the classic old story about fishermen:
"Most fishermen lie except for you and me, and I'm not TOO sure about YOU" =)
I think CNN and Fox aren't what I'm talking about, but I wasn't clear. I'm describing online sources. I do think people will seek news from an organized brand they trust, be that NY Times, WSJ, Reuters, etc., online. I was comparing online news "brands" with social media blogs and Twittering.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have citizen journalists. I don't think I'd trust a Tweet over a branded news story, though.
One thing we do agree on is that getting the news requires going to multiple sources.
MJ : = "I think there's solid evidence that most people will trust a news outlet's "brand," such as the NY Times, WSJ"
generally these "mainstream" sources have been loosing audience... have you wondered why?
William E Simon reminded us "If you think massive government propaganda is exclusive to the communist countries: think again"
Why is FOX doing very well and CNN at the bottom of the heap?
The one thing that the Alternate Media has done is to provide people with the opportiunity to see more than just the ["mainstream"-] "progressive" view of various issues
--and that is a Good Thing
it is also death to the pay for content crowd: subscribing to a particular source tends to lock the reader into -- whatever list of sources he might choose to budget for
and that is not a Good Thing
and it is not going to happen. The reason being that we will always have a rich variety of free-lance journalists who will be delighted to bring us the truth -- as they see it -- for free
VI Lenin told us "History is a myth: recorded by the victors". But for that to be true the victors must control the flow of information.
Franklin reminded us "Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must first subdue the free flow of information"
It would be a good thing for all of us is to keep a close eye on FISA -- and check in with a variety of information sources
it's the best way to keep up on the Goings on about Town. While the Bill of Rights is still law in the land.
I think there's solid evidence that most people will trust a news outlet's "brand," such as the NY Times, WSJ, or other source, whether those outlets publish "news blogs" or straight news.
The point is well taken that just Twittering or otherwise getting some "citizen news" out there is untrustworthy and even dangerous.
I firmly believe that social media in general and blogs in particular will be key modes of news coverage in our society. To speculate whether or not they will become dominant is, as of now, highly speculative. To characterize them as journalism, on the other hand, in a mistake. These new ways of news coverage constitute genuine and needed ponints of view that can contribute significantly to social interaction and disemination of ample information and opinion. However, they don't constitute and never can replace the role of journalism.
When one seeks genuine journalism as one defines it, we look forth to read information produced by an organization which we respect, be the same FOX News or Salon.com otherwise or a journalist or analist that whe appreciate be it Glen Beck or Paul Krugman. The fact is that we generally know and expect the source's stand and we go for it as a "trusted" source from our personal point of view. Tomorrow, with ample probability, the source will be there providing follow up and in depth coverage to a significant portion of the content it produces. We can make world views based on it with a certain degree of certainty on the consistency off the news source.
Social media, by its own nature cannot guarantee anything in relation to the information it contains. In fact, social media doesn't look to guarantee anything. Social media is like public art, like graffitti. We see it and we love it or hate it in itself. We cannot make any other assumption on it readily. We have to develop and use new ways to process and use its content.
I think that it is a mistake to label journalism as "traditional news". This categorization misrepresents journalism role in society. Journalism has never been anything like traditional. Most of the social crisis in the world have been affected, covered, promoted or combated by journalism. Journalism is active by definition, whether it be active pro status quo or against it. That is not a "traditional' role . On the contrary, its an active role, participatory and socially responsive. Venezuela, Phillipines, Watergate, the European Union, China vs. Tibet, etc. are all examples of journalism at its best. With all its faults, journalism is not and has never been traditional.
Recently, in religious circles, a far reaching issue exploded. Federal authorities uncovered a "deceiving" scheme where the son of a prominent scholar used a range (hundreds) of aliases in diverse scholarly web media to "artificially create" what was supposed to be an important social media reaction against certain scholalrly tesis. As it is being allegued in the federal prosecution, someone related to a prominent scholar created hundreds of "fake web personas" creating the "false' illusion that a certain scholarly position was in fact a majority endorsed position. The federal probe allegues that there was a fabrication of information, of informants and of support. All this is under investigation and I only want to use the situation as an exposition of the present perils, challenges and problems inherent in social media's rola as information producer. This is why I use aphosthophes in the references.
I pose that journalism, although not immune to fabrication, is because of its long history, better protected against this overarching schemes. In journalism, you can lie all time to a small group or you can lie for little time to a big croud. And this precept has been proven right in journalism. Social media is too young for that.
Social media cannot be categorized based on its pubescent social existence. It is a process in development, not near adolescence, very distant to maturity. It is a mistake to rise its role to something near the historic status of journalism. But its a very welcome addition to information production, most needed and with a promissory future.
Internet Evolution must be a role model for social media, an open forum and a promoter of its posibilities. But always cautiously checking and verifyin the genuineness of the content posted. That by itself, is a permanent job position.
With the new technology available putting pro quality video, audio and internet posting immediacy into the hands of more and more people, along with the free market principle of filling a percieved need... if the traditional media can't or won't, I think we will see more and more attempts like the PJTV.com (Pajamas TV) folks jumping into the fray.
I just experieinced this issue first had with the Ubuntu 9.10 release. The story was released by ZD Net way too early (the release hadn't been released yet) and quoting problems with a previous RC.
I had to correct a computer journal that said that light transmission was "faster" than radio (both travel at the speed of light, now bandwidth might be a different issue).
I think the problem is that people feel such a pressure to publish because Internet time is speeding away and someone wil "scoop" them.
I think the issue is far more prevalent in the blogosphere. Somewhere, somehow, blogs have gone from being personal observation and editorial to news sources (not a good transition by the way, as the content has not change).
Blogs should take a backseat to Traditional news. And traditional news needs to quit acting like it is on blog time!
Whether we are talking about blogs or traditional print mediums, sloppy journalism is sloppy journalism. I believe that if blogs want to be a respected source of news, they must do what the print media does. They must have reporters (or some type of staff) that can independently verify information as factual, and back it up with source material.
By combining the immediacy of the internet with the fact checking and scrutiny that accompanies respectable newspapers, blogs really could be the next big thing in news.
Blogs..can they be edited like wikis by the blogger?
I saw in a movie with Russell Crowe(sp?) in regards to him being a 'traditional' reporter working for a paper/news in DC. They had a huge blogging department and they seemed to intertwine data.
Wouldn't reputable bloggers pretty much go through the same fact checking?
I'm all for the up to date news. that means the news can change as it CHANGES.
Blogs!..I really can't tell the difference these days what is a blog and what is a news article.
The ThinkerNet does not reflect the views of TechWeb. The ThinkerNet is an informal means of communication to members and visitors of the Internet Evolution site. Individual authors are chosen by Internet Evolution to blog. Neither Internet Evolution nor TechWeb assume responsibility for comments, claims, or opinions made by authors and ThinkerNet bloggers. They are no substitute for your own research and should not be relied upon for trading or any other purpose.
Ahh, the holiday season is upon us: People have begun bargain hunting, department stores are donning premature decorations, turkeys are being shot to death, and email inboxes everywhere are being graced with season-appropriate promotional materials so absurd, one might think they were actually written by the clinically insane.
Considering President Obama went and took the Nobel Peace Prize this year (attention hog, much?), Internet Evolution had to settle for a nomination for the second best prize in the world: a MIN Editorial & Design award. And we're happy to say that we won. Big time.
NEW YORK -- Web 2.0 Expo -- Here at the Javits Center in New York City, several industry innovators have come out to take the stage at the Web 2.0 Expo. But some are having a hard time keeping the audience's attention. The culprit? What else? Twitter.
The debate over whether Google is fairly aggregating newspaper content online has been going on for a while, with Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. leading the discourse. Typically it's followed a consistent pattern: Murdoch complains about Google stealing its content to no real benefit to his company, someone suggests hiding the content from Google, and things get quiet on the News Corp. side of the room.
While Google introduces its new Chrome OS (which I'm hearing will be widely available in one year? Did I mishear that?), IBM announced 10 new products today to help companies using IBM System z mainframe technology.
Smarter Collaboration: How to Thrive in a Challenging Business Environment Market conditions are changing faster than ever, and organizations need to improve their agility and adaptability in order to provide better service and improve processes. The ability to work with customers, business partners, and employees as effectively as possible - while at the same time holding down costs - is a key to success. READ THIS eBOOK
your weekly update of news, analysis, and
opinion from Internet Evolution - FREE! REGISTER HERE
Wanted! Site Moderators Internet Evolution is looking for a handful of readers to help moderate the message boards on our site – as well as engaging in high-IQ conversation with the industry mavens on our thinkerNet blogosphere. The job comes with various perks, bags of kudos, and GIANT bragging rights. Interested?
To save this item to your list of favorite Internet Evolution content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
A digital content market is emerging. Only two things are known about it: the first is that at some point the Internet will primarily become a paid network. The second known factor is that there are innumerable variables in the digital content market that have yet to be worked out. It’s not known, for example, exactly how users will pay for content (micropayments, subscriptions, bartering of farm animals, other).
Bad news! By eliminating the world’s digital divide we’re likely to create a new divide: the information divide, where we end up creating a two-tier Internet where access to 'quality' content is controlled and charged for by mega-corporations, and the gulf between information haves and have-nots is entirely dependent on how much money they have. This is, of course, an almost exact inversion of the current situation on the Internet – where access is expensive and content is free.
As enterprises leap into the Web 2.0 world of blogging, commenting, and social networking, just 'being there' won't deliver ROI. You may want a 'Web Evangelist' to systematically harvest the feedback in order to polish your product or service.
Good news! The cost of Internet infrastructure, services, and access devices has been plummeting at an accelerating rate over the last 10 years and will approach a point in the next 20 years where these technologies become so fantastically cheap that ubiquitous, low-cost, high-speed networks, storage, and access devices will effectively eliminate the digital divide for most of the world's population.
More companies are trolling social networks to find and vet potential job candidates. Beware the pitfalls of blurring the line between personal and professional lives.
The problem with telepresence is that it's not universally accepted, because video calling isn't. While we can all do video calling, we also apparently worry too much about how we look. If we want HD telepresence in our future, we have to dress down, mess up our hair, and dive into our online life.
Industry initiatives and government stimulus funds are giving enterprise software vendors a great opportunity to help build out and manage smart grid technologies.
The problem with telepresence is that it's not universally accepted, because video calling isn't. While we can all do video calling, we also apparently worry too much about how we look. If we want HD telepresence in our future, we have to dress down, mess up our hair, and dive into our online life.
The US loses about $20 billion a year on pirated software, movies, and music. But public policy can help stem the tide of digital theft. For example, France has recently passed a 'three strikes and you’re out' law, whereby if after two warning letters an individual continues to download pirated software then his Internet access will be cut off. US policy makers should consider adopting similar policies.
Financial management planning does not need to include Voodoo economics, but it does help to tap into the knowledge base of your team through some sort of real-time system. We explore your options.
When Reiter gets incensed over incompetent Verizon FiOS order-taking and support, he broadcasts it via Twitter. Did it do any good? How should your company offer Twitter support? Watch this for all the answers.
The successor to the BlackBerry Bold 9000 – the Bold 9700 – will be available soon in the US. Is it worth upgrading? Reiter's got one, and offers advice.
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Email This
TWEET THIS
