Mainstream Media VS Blogging
Couldn't sleep last night.. Worrying about QL, the World, Liverpool being thrashed by Chelski and ofcourse Mrs Expat.
Now everyone knows I like the News... any and every medium... even the SUN and National Enquirer..
I got thinking about Bloggers and what a great job they are doing... A great alternative to the "mainstream media"
For example , anyone following the G20 summit would have got two completely versions (in most cases).
So, my question. Is Blogging a great alternative to mainstream media ?
More to the point. Do people actually take bloggers seriously.. ?
Isn't it strange, that in most cases we can sense the "bias" in bloggs, but find it difficult to do the same in mainstream media reports..
It all depends on the credibility and track-record of the blogger. Many (such as Riverbend and Salam Pax) have been able to give a perspective from inside the community that media reporters, dashing from one "event" to another, simply do not have. However, blogs can also be deceitful, malicious or deliberate state-run propaganda.
I imagine all the spy agencies have blog departments now, designed to push propaganda in the guise of being some innocent passing on the truth, and their blogs will look really convincing. Readers should beware of being gulled.
Non-political special interest blogs, on the other hand, can give the equivalent of a postgraduate-level education in their field ... all free of charge provided by enthusiasts. That's something no media outlet offers.
blogs and misuse the information on them to slander the blogger.
f you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the main difference between a dog and man.
-Mark Twain-
You are right, brit, as usual.
I am in agreement with you totally. My point (not well put accross) was that we should look at all types reports and make our own mind up accordingly.
Too many of us have one favourite "paper" and take what it says a gospel..
Any news or report is subjective, brit. Even if you'd measure an electron with an "electronic" device you already alter the object you are measuring. Instantaneaous observation is impossible. Truth is not achievable. You must make up your mind. This, however, requires that you "know" as much as possible about the object and how it is embedded in reality.
Should we not try and see different sides of the same story ?
For example.. During the G20, many publications focused on the "anarchy - destruction of property by protesters" ..however, through the bloggers we realised that this was only a small mindless minority.
During the Iraq conflict, mainstream media was "embedded" within the allied troops and most stories had to be cleared.
Bloggers were free to report whatever they saw or felt.
Although blogs can give us an insight/detail of somebody who was in such certain events.
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
Still, well-known media personalities blogging would have more credibilty than an outsider. Yes, the operative word would be 'supplement', but not an alternative.
If there is no critical reporting from mainstream media…Serious news blogs and websites could fill the gaps created by mainstream media. They could definitely supplement if not entirely replace them….when we read some blogs of Iraqi and Afghani bloggers we get an entirely different picture than what the leading newspapers are saying..
In most of the blog sites they copy news link from the main stream media …which don’t make much of difference. I think some original blogs are more critical/analytical than the mainstream media.