Best Practices in Blogging Presentation courtesy of
Best Practices in Blogging
Presentation courtesy of
Are Bloggers Journalists?
• 52% of bloggers consider themselves to be journalists
• 20% of bloggers derive the majority of their income from their blog work
• But are bloggers the same as journalists?
Source: 2010 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey
Is It Journalism?
• Most have not “trained” to be journalists– 57% of bloggers include links to original sources
either “sometimes” or “often.” – 56% of bloggers spend extra time trying to verify
facts they want to include in a post either “sometimes” or “often.”
SOURCE: PEW INSTITUTE 2006 SURVEY
Opinion & Ideology
• Blogging is often personal in nature and told from a definite point of view
• “Traditional journalism” is different
Traditional Journalism
• “Fair and balanced” reporting is the goal• Despite limitations of time and resources, we
strive to gather and present facts in an unbiased way
It’s not about “You”
• Challenge your own assumptions and those of your readers
• Logic, intellect and research should prevail over emotion, gut instinct and personal belief systems
Bias
• Bias in the news and blogging can take many forms– Word choices– Image choices– Omission of information– Selection of sources– Story framing & context
Word Choices
• Whether intentional or not, the words you choose may reveal your personal views
• Stay neutral and stick to the facts• Interactive Exercise: – Word Choices– Headline Choices
Image Choices
• What graphic or image should accompany your story?
• Can you think of examples where the image captures something different than the physical reality of the event?
• Interactive Exercise: Image Choices
Omission of Information
• Who sets the mainstream media news agenda?
• What gets covered or ignored?• Interactive Exercise: Omissions
Selection of Sources
• Should you exclude a viewpoint to reinforce your own agenda or belief?
• Interactive Exercise: Sources
Story Framing & Context
• On the Web, the earliest reports are often amplified by others
• Stories are “framed” and contextualized by the journalist (but also by others)
• Interactive Exercise: Story Framing
Examples: The Aggregators
• Drudge Report– Conservative in nature– Monica Lewinsky/Bill
Clinton Scandal
• Huffington Post– Liberal response to
Drudge Report
The Aggregators
• Beyond news, there are several popular aggregate blog sites for specific areas of interest
• Examples:– Technorati.com– BoingBoing.net
“Crowdsourcing”
• “Crowdsourcing” is a new trend in online journalism that has many supporters and skeptics
What is “Crowdsourcing?”
• A collaborative form of reporting• Each contributor researches and contributes a
component to the overall piece• The actual story may or may not be written by a
collaborator• Content is usually overseen by a centralized editor
“Pro-Am” Journalism
• Crowdsourcing is often referred to as “pro-am journalism”– A combination of both professional and amateur
contributions
More Resources
• University of Michigan’s News Bias Explored• Pew Research’s State of the News Media
Report• PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey