best practices in blogging
DESCRIPTION
What are some of the best practices that aspiring citizen journalists should consider when creating Web content? This presentation reviews some of the basics.TRANSCRIPT
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