Journalists Online

Innovation has made its way into journalism. Journalism has been a part of societies around the world for centuries. Some may say without journalism, there would be no democracy. Baltatzis defines democracy as “a struggle between power ideas to establish political, social and economic leadership in our societies.” To channel out those ideas, journalism creates a space for people to come together to establish and share their thoughts. That is what makes a democracy.

Journalism has taken a new route when online web logs (blogs) were established. Blogging is a web-based concept where anyone can publish text on the web. There are many blogging companies that allow users to sign up at no cost, allowing them to create their own blog pages. Journalists are encouraged to blog, especially when working on a professional piece. Baltatzis says blogging is “technology with a mission.” Instead of traditional paper publication, audiences who read blogs can respond and interact directly on the blog site. Traditional print may only allow a certain amount to be published due to the constraint of space. Blogging allows journalists to write gathered information they want to share that they weren’t able to include in the printed edition.

Blogs are “goldmines” for journalists. There are unlimited amount of space on the web for a journalists to write as much as they want and include any type of media file whether it’ll be video, sound or picture slide show in their blogs. As media and news are and should be instantaneous, blogs offer the same speedy service to readers where journalists can update their site at anytime. Blogging should not be the story itself, rather a relevant piece that compliments the printed edition.

Blogs can be made by anyone on the World Wide Web, journalists or not. The stories that are written on blogs cannot be completely truth worthy. Even if a well-known journalist have already established his or her reputation at a printed publication, publication on the web by the same person may still create skepticism from readers. Those who blog have to remember that credibility is key in any story and they must build a trusting relationship with their readers.
While Baltatzis recommends managers to encourage their staff of journalists to blog, some people like Josh Quittner, who runs Business 2.0 magazine says, “I don’t think blogs are something that big media should get into.” He fells that blogs should be independent voices rather than a tie to a large corporation.

The idea of blogging intrigues many as journalists find this concept benefiting their work. A web log allows interaction between the writer and the reader in a virtual space on the web. Blogs are usually open to all which makes discussions a lot more interesting. While writing blogs are innovative and a steer towards a different direction for journalists, traditional journalism will never be replaced by it. Blogging has not developed a certain credibility that traditional print journalism has worked hard for, for the past centuries.

-Ching