The rise of bloggers has led to all sorts of discussions about what constitutes journalism. My wife Tracy and I, as journalism graduates and as former college and professional journalists, have followed the debate with interest.
What’s amazing is how often today news stories are broken by bloggers, who in many ways really are independent journalists. What’s equally amazing is how rarely that fact is acknowledged by the “mainstream media.”
Another example came today in this story about the executive director of a state agency who had questionable material on his “My Space” page. The story was broken by Greg Patterson, the espressopundit political blogger.
Now Greg has forced the Arizona Daily Star to print a correction.
As an advocate of the First Amendment, I think this is great. So, Greg, take heart — the MSM is being forced to grapple, even on the local level, with the power of independent journalists and bloggers. Even if they won’t acknowledge your name.
I have experienced the same thing on a smaller level coverning sports, only the big time T.V. and newspaper are shown any sort of respect, and given acess, but I have a feeling that those who are in the new media independent journalist five years from now, won’t have that much of a problem its just some old guys and gals who are full of ego who don’t want to see anyone report or diseiminate information unless they are being paid by Gannett