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Blogging news stories as they unfold is one of the most
exciting and controversial applications of technology that
bloggers have discovered. One thing that makes the blogosphere
so active is the fact that it is possible to update a blog
instantaneously, so the news on blogs tends to be more current
than the news in the paper, or on television. Unlike news
delivered by these other media, news that appears on blogs does
not have to travel through a series of editors and
administrators before it reaches the public eye. This has some
advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.
One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog before
appearing in other media took place in July 2005 when terrorism
struck London. As passengers were evacuated from a subway car
near an explosion, one man took several photographs of the scene
with his cellular phone, and within an hour these images were
posted online. First-person accounts of the catastrophe began
appearing on blogs soon after these photos appeared, and people
all over the world learned about the events in London by reading
the words and seeing the photos posted by bloggers.
The fact that these stories and images were being spread
directly by individuals operating without the added filter of a
reporter helped to make the crisis feel very immediate to people
across the globe. When it comes to blogging, news often appears
in a very personal context.
This has the potential to be the beginning of an exciting new
era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism" to it's
logical next step by putting the power to shape how the news is
written and read directly into the hands of the public.
Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are champions of
the weblog movement feel that this growing trend of individuals
who getting their news from blogs is a good thing, because it
makes the flow of information more democratic. By decentralizing
the control of news, blogs allow more voices to enter the field
of debate about important current events.
However, many people are adamantly opposed to the use of
blogs as news outlets, and there are plenty of good arguments on
this side of the debate.
Unlike newspapers or television stations, few blogs have
fact-checkers, and there is little attention paid to
journalistic accountability on many blogs. This can lead to the
rapid spread of misinformation, and more than one falsehood has
taken the blogosphere by storm. The questions about whether
blogging news as it happens is ethical or not are very
complicated, but no matter where you stand on the topic of
current events blogs you are almost sure to agree that this
movement has the potential to revolutionize how modern people
get their news.
For more information on blogs and how to start once check out
our
range of ebooks
© Robert Warlow
Robert runs a number of websites focusing on ideas and
tips for small businesses, and people running online businesses.
Check out his websites for free newsletters, e-books and
articles:
http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz ,
http://www.smallbusinessloansecrets.com ,
http://www.marketingtipsandideas.com and
http://www.internetmarketingtipsandideas.com
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