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July 14, 2005
BLOGS as news source?
What do we think of this? A reporter using someone's personal blog as a source of information to extrapalate and report a story using the content from the blog as news. even attributing quotes - even using the pictures posted on that blog to accompany that story. I'm speaking of on-line or printed press in this example, not broadcast media.
For me this is indeed irresponsible journalism (and this has nothing to do with our beloved JQR - any likeness to his blogname is mere circumstantial) It is lazy, disrespectful and seems just plain wrong.
Do we invite this by being self-publishers in the blog set? perhaps.
But should a reputable provider of news help himself to someone's personal entries to allow himself access to intimate details of one's life and report it - simply because it was already published on the web somewhere? I don't think so.
Seems like the reporter lacks the courage to go direct and deal with the discomfort of asking for the information directly.
Why bother when you can get the scoop without any of that pesky interviewing.
it pisses me off!
Posted by mary at July 14, 2005 09:49 AM
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Comments
Blogs contain journalism if bloggers are DOING journalism, so it's a case by case thing...
Can you give us a link to example you're talking about?
Posted by: Bill at July 14, 2005 12:44 PM
hmmm...it is local and involves a good friend's blog and i'm hesitant to name it outloud. the journalist is not a blogger. the blog site is not journalism.
Posted by: mary frances at July 14, 2005 01:20 PM
If the print media reporter asked your friend first, before the "story" printed, and your friend said, "Ok" then I guess it would be ok. But if the print media reporter printed stuff in the name of journalism from the blog that is not a journalism site, and didn't ask permissions then the reporter is lazy, disrespectful, and probably in violation of copyright laws.
Posted by: mrscrumley at July 14, 2005 01:29 PM
Is the PIECE journalism? Are the quotes from the blog reputable?
Posted by: Bill at July 14, 2005 02:20 PM
i do not believe the reporter had permission at all. i think he is aware of the blog site and is using it as a way to update his story. the "piece" is journalism in that it is reported on a news site as news. the tactic isn't journalistic. He is turning personal comments left on the blog into quotes and attributing them so it reads as if he spoke with the guy directly.
Posted by: mary at July 14, 2005 02:43 PM
Too many variables here. Not enough facts. I don't know/can't see what you are talking about, so I can't properly report/comment on it.
Posted by: Bill at July 14, 2005 03:06 PM
alrighty then. thought it could be a lively discussion on how news is acquired and used - but no-can-do it seems. i'm in the bizzaro world. so sorry you can not contribute.
Posted by: mary at July 14, 2005 03:23 PM
Blog information is public domain. If you are blogging, there is always the danger that you will be quoted.
A journalist should use all the resources at their disposal to form a story. Reporters sometimes have a hard time finding people with different views about a topic. A blog could be helpful in finding different opinions for use in a story.
Posted by: Joe at July 14, 2005 03:48 PM
i used to be the assignment manager at a local television station. never would i nor any other management in the newsroom have encouraged a reporter to gather AND report news in this way. I understand looking for info to confirm or deepen a story - so that your interviews are more subtsantial and you might then have an edge because of your sources and tripping onto "inside info" of sorts. but imagine i'm some random anon blogger and posting phony information on some hot topic just to be a contrary antagonist. that is my right as a free-wheelin' blogger. Don't you believe a reporter that used my site as a credible source would be in a world of pain for reporting erroneous info based on my imagination?
Posted by: mary at July 14, 2005 03:59 PM
...furthermore.... when looking for good/juicy story leads i think the blog world is fantastic source to see what people are talking about and to fish around for ideas to investigate. again in the newsroom we sniffed around these kinds of places - as well as read all the letters to the editors to see if there were things we could go chase. Its a great way to see what is really on people's minds. But- We didn't just quote the person who wrote the letter as part of the story - we tried to find them and talk to them directly. if we couldn't find them we didn't use them why? because that would be wrong and very poor journalsim and we had this credibility thing, ya know...
Posted by: mary at July 14, 2005 04:06 PM
I understand your point.
But... and I hope this doesn't offend your sensibilities... Reporters, not just bloggers, spin stories. News outlets do not have to tell the truth. Several court cases have stated that media outlets' primary responsibilities are to their bottom line, not to the truth.
That is why I try to seek out as many different sources as possible with any story before reaching a conclusion. Blogs are just as good as hard news. Better, even, because we are not deluding ourselves that everything we are reading here is truth.
We can gather many different perspectives of different views of the "truth," and make up our own minds. I see that more and more news stories are being picked up because of blogging, and I believe this trend will (and should) continue.
While I agree with you that multiple sources to confirm information are a good thing, I believe that blogs are a valid place to gather news.
Thanks for bringing up this contentious topic.
Posted by: Joe at July 14, 2005 04:23 PM
People can be just as negligible with their comments whether the reporter talks to them in person or cites their blog comments.
The best way to work around this -- and what we often do -- is to talk to the person after we've read their blog comments. They often can give us additional/better information, too.
Think of blog posts or comments as POTENTIAL leads or sources.
Posted by: Bill at July 14, 2005 04:36 PM
my point exactly Bill - see above. that is how i think blogs are best used and are perfect for such. blogs as a lead to more info - as a lead to the source. yes all day long.
Posted by: mary at July 14, 2005 05:14 PM