Journalists and the trust issue…..
10 Dec 2009 1 Comment
Over the last 2 years, I hear too much talk about how online news will envelop the print media. However, I feel there is a certain type of reliability that people feel when they read something that has been professionally printed. I don’t think that print media is losing ground to the online world as much as we may assume. I’m not saying that blogs are void and useless, they have their part too.
As a blogger you can ‘qualify your content’, but, being a sceptic (in general) it just doesn’t cut it when you’re hunting for facts. Sometimes, this is because the line does get a bit blurry between the genuine and the spoof. I know with my parents and grandparents generations if it’s not published, it’s dodgy. In saying that, I hardly believe what I read in the newspaper anyway!
At the other end of the scale, if a blogger or journalist has put enough credible sources within their story, I may just start to believe them, but it has to be pretty damn convicting. Mostly I enjoy reading the down to earth opinions of everyday people- in short I really just enjoy listening to people having a go and whatever rubs them the wrong way, I think it keeps us open minded.
In many ways blogging is entertainment. Blogging is commenting on the news which has been found by professional journalists…
If i want to know what the weather is, or the latest in fashion, scandals and politics- i don’t go to Sally Joe’s blog, I type in Sydney Morning Herald or go to the Bureau of Meteorology to find my answer. I go somewhere where i think the information is going to be reliable.
Perhaps this is the realm bloggers should thrive in, rather than delving into professional news. Should bloggers be kept in the entertainment world? Will people ever take their words as fact?
Can bloggers ever be considered professional journalists with this in mind?
What’s your opinion??
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