Blogging the story: An Blogging the story: An evolving journalism onlineevolving journalism online

Sue Robinson

Temple University

International Symposium

on Online Journalism

April 17, 2004

What’s a blog?What’s a blog?Cross between column, news story, diary

Perfect place to display short-form reporting, short-form analysis, short-form writing?

Perfect to spur national debate?

Journalism?

Research questionsResearch questionsDo blogs rate as journalism?

How might the nonlinear nature of online writing, and these particular blogs, affect news delivery?

How are truth, independence, credibility, and authorship being established in J-blogs?

How do journalists negotiate and (re)interpret traditional news frames in the online medium?

Answering the questionsAnswering the questions

Textual analysis of 114 J-blogs in mainstream news publications

Scrutinized 15 J-blogs’ implications for journalism

The J-code The J-code Kovach & Rosenstiel’s Kovach & Rosenstiel’s

9 elements of journalism9 elements of journalism

Obligation to truth Loyalty to

citizenshipDiscipline of

verificationIndependence from

sourcesMonitor of power

Forum for debateSignificant accounts

interesting and relevant

Comprehensive and proportional news

Ethical obligation

The resultThe result To set the agenda for societal debate (McCombs &

Shaw, 1972) Reinforces the dominant hegemony of democratic,

capitalist America:

“Although journalists do not set out to report the news so that the existing

politico-economic system is maintained, their professional norms end up

producing stories that implicitly support the existing order” (Soloski, 1989/1997, p.144)

News repair (Bennett et al, 1985)

Postmodern journalismPostmodern journalism New journalism such as “In Cold Blood”

Information age: Dismissal of dominant identity

Globalization: Loss of any one power

Time is nonlinear

History: Different stories of multiple passages of time

Narratives are reader interpreted (Jameson, 1981)

Blogging journalismBlogging journalism Framing in multiple ways

Computers have kaleidoscope powers (Murray, 1997)

Audience agency: Both dancer, musician

Hyperlinks: The never-ending story

J-blogs: The ultimate news?

(Murray, 1997; Landow, 1997; Wendland, 2003)

Where does that leave Where does that leave traditional norms and traditional norms and

values?values?

Elements of a blogElements of a blogJournalism as “truth”

Must synthesize relevant, significant information (Kovach & Rosenstiel)

Even columns must be true, verified

“Rather than rushing to add context and interpretation, the press needs to concentrate on synthesis and

verification” (Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2001, p.47).

Journalism as truth (cont.)Journalism as truth (cont.)

Linking to other “truths”

Context, interpretation well documented

Synthesis, verification not present

“Journalism” repair

The New Republic: The New Republic: http://www.tnr.com/blog/campaignjournalhttp://www.tnr.com/blog/campaignjournal

Drudge and others are hyping the fact that Boston Globe reporter Patrick Healy has sent out an e-mail correcting

the transcript of John Kerry's recent comments at a Florida fund-raiser. Kudos to Healy for double-checking and correcting his reporting, but the fact that Kerry said

“more leaders” instead of “foreign leaders” doesn't change the substance of what he said…. Instead of

unconvincingly spinning Healy's correction as proof that Kerry was misunderstood--when he clearly was not--why not just let the story die a natural death? (Posted

March 16)

Independence, loyalty to citizensIndependence, loyalty to citizens

Must be objective, free from ties in order to perform “watch-dog” function (Kovach & Rosenstiel)

Seattle Post-Intelligencer:Seattle Post-Intelligencer:http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lincoln/journal/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lincoln/journal/

Visited the ship’s captain on the bridge and he noted that the media’s stories have softened

after our few weeks onboard. We’re getting to know the crew, he said. True. We’ve met

amazing, dedicated people aboard. But that word “soft” – it worries me. There’s such a

dearth of hard news on the Lincoln.

(March 25, 2003)

Verification, debate forumVerification, debate forum Sources, readers “verify”“We knew that there is plenty of other very good

reporting out there. And we knew that to have credibility with the reader we couldn’t

just say, well, here’s what The Times is reporting and ignore everybody else”

-- the NYTimes.com editor on new blog “Times on the Trail”

Reader “repair”

Significant, proportionalSignificant, proportionalBanal mixes with action

Rarely contain news in traditional sense

New form of news

Florida Today (Feb. 1, 2003) Florida Today (Feb. 1, 2003) http://www.floridatoday.com/journal/020103landing.htmhttp://www.floridatoday.com/journal/020103landing.htm

9:06 a.m.: “Ten minutes from wheels down.” 9:20: “NASA has lost communication with the orbiter

and has no tracking data.” 9:28: “Mission control is silent. There was never a sign of

the orbiter here. There was brief discussion of an instrumentation problem aboard the orbiter just before communications was lost but no explanation. Then, Merritt Island tracking station did not pick up the orbiter's signal. It was believed last contacted over Texas.”

9:32: “A search and rescue team is being dispatched to Texas, where it is believed the orbiter broke up during descent. Very, very little is being said here about what has happened in part because officials appear not to know yet.”

Postmodern WritingPostmodern WritingMultiple entries, endings

Porthole to rest of “story”

Meaningless, or multi-meaning

Austin Statesman:Austin Statesman:http://www.austin360.com/xl/content/xl/index.htmlhttp://www.austin360.com/xl/content/xl/index.html

…Whatever. So I flew to Columbus, Ohio, two weekends ago to visit the girl, Ms. Laura, who was formerly my girlfriend but became just a friend when she moved back home, yet has reclaimed the title of girlfriend, even though my contract says I will never, ever do a long-

distance relationship and my lawyer, doctor and editor have advised against such lunacy. I

ignored all of this, because snuggles are fun. (Posted, March 15, 2004)

Blogging new forms, sort ofBlogging new forms, sort ofCorporate answer to independent blogs and

the Internet

News repair still happening, but with a postmodern twist

Readers shaping own frames, “truths”

Are traditional J-values even more important then?

“As sources, perspectives and therefore values multiply and diversify, journalism objectivity

becomes even more necessary than it is today.”

(Gans,. 1979, p.315)

VS

“If journalists tell their stories on behalf of a normative order, they may be doing so to an

ever smaller and less attentive audience.”(Cook, 1996, p. 479)