Our
View: Bloggers pervade media with new
purpose
Bloggers have penetrated the media and grabbed national attention in a way that
probably makes talk radio hosts envious.
National news media outlets now report what bloggers publish online, probably
more so than anything of what Rush Limbaugh and friends parade over the airwaves.
The word “blog,” a blend between the words Web and log, has even
received a coveted spot in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, which made it
an official word in 2005.
Media consumers now have even more to choose from, as if television, print and
radio weren’t enough already. But with these new players to the field,
can we dub them journalists, in the pure sense of the word? The answer is no.
No we can’t.
Most schools of thought for journalism advocate professionalism — professionalism
in presentation, accuracy and, of course, objectivity.
Without those three key ingredients, credibility sinks like the Titanic, causing
consumers thirsty for real news to seek less murky waters elsewhere.
Bloggers do not display all three of these characteristics. Some may have immaculate
presentation, get all or most of the facts right, but still lack the professional
objectivity required of journalists.
So then, what can we call these Internet folk? Which Webster word best describes
them, if not journalists?
Commentator is a good word, whether it be news, political or social commentary.
But these online commentators are not bad, even if they don’t represent
pure journalism. In fact, they’re great. We need plenty of them.
We need people commenting on the news in innovative and smart ways through blogs.
If the press is thought to be the Fourth Estate overseeing the other three Estates
(the legislative, judicial and executive branches of our government), then all
major commentators ought to be thought of as the Fifth Estate. They watch the
media while the media watches the government.
It’s not a bad system. Besides, the media needs someone to watch over it
and any pretentious journalist who says otherwise needs a lesson in humility.
Case in point: Dan Rather and his team’s factual foul-up with a forged
National Guard letter about President George W.
Bush during the 2004 election. If it weren’t for bloggers, Dan Rather and
his factual error would still be around today.
So then if bloggers are not journalists, the same goes for other commentators
like TV hosts Bill O’Reilly, Chris Matthews, Sean Hannity and Jon Stewart
or radio hosts like Limbaugh, Al Franken, Michael Savage and Randi Rhodes. All
have valid points to make from all sides of the political spectrum.
Even so-called journalists who display forms of bias, subtle or obvious, from
any political viewpoint, don’t deserve the title, either. Journalists who
cannot get beliefs out the door as best as possible should join the media commentator
team instead. Take a look at this opinion page or O’Reilly’s so-called “No
Spin Zone.”
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