Journalistic Blogging

The end of Project 3

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:37:39 -0600

This is the end of my final blogging project. I would have liked to do more, but I haven't the time.

I hope you found interest in the posts I made and the articles I provided the addresses for!!

To find more information about journalism and blogging search google. Or, for a more comprehensive list of the newest, funnest blogs check out this cool site: http://www.cyberjournalist.net/cyberjournalist.php.

And no, that last paragraph was not a paid advertisement. All in all, I really enjoyed my entry into the blogging world this last semester. I don't know if I'll keep it up, but other forms of online communication and newsprint may very well have a run for their money.

Is it fact/fiction or both?

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:32:33 -0600

In my interview with Christa, I asked her if she ever posts messages, etc. on her blog that aren't exactly true. She responded by saying that she obviously elaborates.

It's quite fun to blog and try to trick readers into believing that what you post is factual. On my previous blog I posted various Letters to the Editor addressed to the UMD Statesman from an obsessed reader. They contained real issues - things that have gone on in the office, etc. I also obviously elaborated on many of the topics.

Does this mean that I should get fired from the Statesman for misrepresenting the organization I work for? I don't really think so.

Bloggers do it all of the time and although there isn't any way to check the credibility of many blog posts, you can bet your knickers that the stuff I said wasn't in reply to any uncomfortable situation at my place of work, and was far from the truth.

You can check out the Letters on my other blog at: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/otto0088/Test.

I hope you like the picture of Elvira!!!

Big media utilizes blogs

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 17:26:42 -0600

Although much evidence points to the fact that big media feels threatened by blogs, where the traditional audience members of newspapers are now reporting the news online, many large news organizations are turning to blogs.

It seems as though many are actually embracing the fact that they may someday be nothing...I don't really think that, but are they also jumping on the bandwagon?

Check out some of these blogs. You can search for them through google. Here's the address to the New York Times blog: nytimes.blogrunner.com.

It's actually a very interactive sight...some may even call it FUn!

Journalists fired

Tue, 13 Dec 2005 20:31:56 -0600

There have been many cases of professional journalists being fired for things they post on their blogs in the last three years.

There seems to be a fuzzy line between what you blog for personal reasons and blogging about things going on where you're employed. I do think it's ok to have your own blog and choose what it contains, as in the case of christa the journalist from Duluth I interviewed. However, I do not think it's ok to bash co-workers, your boss, people you've interviewed for stories or your place of work. I do think innocent venting can be done, but why do it where the whole world can see?

I think this case is very different from the case of the dental student. He was not violating any rules of Marquette University when posting messages on his blog. He was not a journalist, but just a student. I think this situation is different because his post wouldn't damage his credibility or the credibility of the college he attends...especially if his blog was mostly frequented by his friends.

One blog entry I found from April 2004 contained a list of tips for bloggers when blogging about the workplace. Here they are:

- Don't blog about your work without authorization from your bosses. Do the right thing and check company policy.
- If you must have an unauthorized blog where you bitch about work, assume people are going to discover your identity.
- If you must have an unauthorized blog where you bitch about work, don't include identifying details about your company or the people your company does business with.

The address to this site is: http://www.lostremote.com/archives/000844.html.

Addresses to other stories or posts about journalists getting fired: http://radiofreeblogistan.com/2003/10/18/journalis_fired_for_blog_post.html and also http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/000151.php.

Check them out and let me know what your views are.

Dental student suspended at Marquette University

Tue, 13 Dec 2005 14:53:04 -0600

How much should the colleges you attend and the places where you work be able to control what you post on your own personal blog?

Do the rules and codes of ethics that apply to the workplace and college also apply to the content you put on your blog?

In this case a dental student was suspended and ordered to retake the semester of classes he was enrolled in, which will cost around $14,000 in tuition, due to postings he put on his blog. The messages contained "bashes" on his professors and classmates, etc. Marquette University constituted this as reason to suspend him for violating their dental school's code of conduct. The code of conduct states that students must "conduct interactions with each other, with patients and with others in a manner that promotes understanding and trust and must not take actions which in any way discriminate against or favor any group or are harassing in nature."

I personally find the fact that this University had the right to suspend him to be ridiculous. I know that through this blog the University of Minnesota prints a disclaimer along with anything I post that they find to be "illegal." I think this is fine, but being suspended for something on my blog criticizing classmates or one of my business professors would be completely unfair. I think that Marquette University has infringed on this student's First Amendment rights.

An article and more information can be found at the following two sites:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/dec05/375555.asp?format=print and http://www.mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2005/12/marquette-dental-student-suspended.html

I recommend visiting these sites!

Feel free to post comments to me regarding your opinion on this subject!!

Interview continued

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 21:15:57 -0600

Here's the last five questions and answers.

Q6: Do you think that it’s safe to assume that the newspaper you work for has a say over what you “publish�? outside of work under your byline (going under the assumption that blogs are considered published)?
A: I think that if my blog was competing for the same readers as my newspaper, it could be a problem. For instance, I would not be able to write something for “The Ripsaw�? because it would be a conflict between Northland publications. As is, my blog gets about 100-some hits per day, largely from people outside of Northern Minnesota, I don’t think anyone is freaking out about it. I’m not taking ad revenue from the DNT. And I don’t consider my blog to be bylined writing. I don’t take my blog that seriously.

Q7: Do you think that blogs are a credible journalistic source?
A: Blogs as a journalistic source ... I have a friend who was doing hurricane coverage down south and he was writing blog updates as he traveled through Louisiana and Mississippi. When the Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team advanced to the NCAA Regionals last year, there was talk about me posting blog updates from the Frozen Four if they advanced. I can see using blogs in this way. People always want a little bit more information, and I think blogs – in these situations – are relevant. Especially right now when internet access is readily available to any hack who can stumble into a coffee shop. But there is a casualness to blog-writing that differs from a straight news story – and I think that makes it a different sort of read, but perhaps a little less credible. But maybe more fun? The source and context of the blog also have to be considered. If the Washington Post links to a blog – I’d find it more credible than just, say, the blog of a conservative official who loathes same-sex marriage and posts bible passages that he feels support his cause. You just have to be able to discern between propaganda and news. Blogs are just like anything else on the Internet, and credibility has to be evaluated case by case. Since the Washington Post is already a credible news source, if they deem a blog credible – I’ll take their word for it. A personal blog would have to build that trust I think, which would be harder, but could be done.

Q8: Do you think the DNT should start a blog?
A: The DNT has had a blog. Last year they did something about Christmas memories. I didn’t read it, so I don’t know how it went. I know that reporters have mentioned creating blogs that correspond with their beats. Frankly, I do think its a good idea. I think any way to give people a little more information is a good thing and will help this medium grow. So many people are online. But a blog associated with the DNT would have to be edited the way news stories are edited and would have to subscribe to the same ethics.

Q9: Do you think major news organizations should be fearful that blogging may someday take over newsprint?
A: Overtake newspapers? Hmmm ... Maybe someday. Hopefully not while I’m trying to work in the newspaper business. I do think that blogging will become more important to journalism, as will anything online including vlogs and podcasts and lots of links and bulletin board-style forums. People like to get just a little more information on things. The Internet makes that a possibility. But for now, I think there are still some people who like to see a hard copy of a newspaper and who enjoy the ritual of reading it every morning. As for young readers, I think they’re more inclined to jump around online so there are definitely changes on the horizon in the world of journalism.

Q10: Do you use Christa and not your full name intentionally?
A: I do intentionally just use my first name on my blog. So far, if a person googles my first and last name, my blog doesn’t appear. Plus, it makes me a little like Madonna. For now, it is important to me that I’m not google-able by first and last name. I have a friend in law school who has a “blawg�? (get it) and he used both names, got totally paranoid about it and went to his first name only. He was hearing a lot of stories of potential employers finding his blog. This isn’t something I worry about too much, since I’m a writer and my blog is just another sample of my writing. Albeit sometimes vulgar. Anyway, my friend has since started going by “some guy�? which eases his conscience a little bit I guess.

Interview of local reporter

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 21:08:02 -0600

To gather some insight on whether or not professional journalists should be allowed to blog whatever they want without fearing the "wrath" of the workplace, I interviewed a local journalist via e-mail. She provided me with a slew of information and I am extremely grateful for it.

Here's the questions I sent and the answers from Christa.

Q1: What initially attracted you to blogging?
A: I am admittedly a follower on the whole blog-scene. I did it because my friends were doing it. I’m one of those vain writers who sends emails and laments the fact that I put so much time and effort into a creative e-mail full of one-liners and wicked descriptions and debauchery that only one person will see, that I decided to take my writing to basically do the same thing on a grander stage. Some of my friends were writing some pretty boring stuff. Some of my friends were writing some pretty funny stuff. Then it evolved into this online conversation between posts and comments and almost turned into one-upmanship. People quoting other people’s posts – people quoting their own posts. I’ve been doing it for a year, and in that time it has evolved and devolved. A lot of my friends have stopped writing, or at least stopped writing with the same frequency. I try to post everyday. Personally, I’ve always been more interested in creative writing than journalism, so it is a nice way for me to make sure I’m doing exactly the kind of writing that I want to do everyday. Kind of a writing exercise.

Q2: Is all of the information on your blogs true, or is some of it fictional?
A: If I had to choose between true and false, my blog is definitely more true. Yes, I was at the Pioneer on Sunday night; yes, I was hungover the next day. Elements are exaggerated or massaged for entertainment value, of course, just like anyone who tells you a story. There have definitely been significant things that have occurred that I have not written about ... which grates on some of my friends’ nerves, who say I’m not 100 percent honest about everything. But who knows, maybe I’ll revisit some of that stuff in later posts and boost my credibility among those naysayers.

Q3: What are the main purposes of your blogs?
A: Well, I always forget I have two blogs. The one I take more seriously, biggianttamponcommercial.blogspot.com is an online journal that I bleed, drool and breathe into on a daily basis. If I’m not updating it, I’m checking the comments or site meter, which counts visits per day and is the bane of my existence. “bgtc�? is for entertainment. And it is also, like I said, a daily writing exercise. The other, sexypageturner.blogspot.com is just a place where I write about books I’ve read. An average of about four people per day read it, leading me to believe that no one cares about what I’m reading. I basically use that one as a file for recording and reviewing what I’ve read – something I did before the advent of the blog, but now just do it online.

Q4: Have you heard the different stories of professional journalists and students (story released recently) of being fired or kicked out of school for talking about certain things related to work, etc. on their blogs?
A: I have read about people being fired for blogs. Not so much about students being expelled for blogs. Since I started my own, I’ve followed the cultural trends pretty closely and tried to read as much about blogs as possible. One of the best fired-for-blog stories occurred four years ago. A woman in California had an online journal called dooce.com where she openly mocked coworkers – coworkers who were friends of hers, and aware of the blog. She was let go when it was discovered by department heads, and she has gone on to be in every blog news story and on ever televised news report about blogs. I even read the Washiontonienne, which was a pathetic waste of time, albeit a gleeful way to satiate guilty gossip pleasure. It is the story of a woman who worked at the White House and was fired for things she wrote about – including affairs with officials. There was a journalist in St. Louis who was fired in early 2005 ... It goes on.

Q5: Do you think that information on a blog should be censored by your place of work?
A: Do I think my blog should be censored by my place of work? No. don’t know why any person that I work with, aside from my close friends, would even want to read it. It is really just a lot of crap. On the other hand, I should be smart enough to not write about work. Which I have been 99.9 percent of the time. And the one time I wasn’t, it did come back to haunt me a little bit. I had vented about something work-related that I should not have vented about and exaggerated quite a bit. The post was found. At that time I was told “I’m not going to tell you what you can and cannot write about, but ...�? We discussed that what I do outside of work is my business, which I agree with. It was a good opportunity for me to revisit the fact that my online journal is on the internet. I think people forget that sometimes. Blogs are easily accessible to anyone on the planet who knows how to spell “google.�? (In fact, it took me two minutes to find yours last night). But I’m a bit of a blog-whore. I want people to find my blog. I tell people about it, I welcome links to it. I would scrawl it in bathroom stalls and put a bumper sticker with the address on my car. I’m actually more concerned about my mom finding it than anyone at work.

I will post the last five questions in the next entry.

Introduction to Blog

Tue, 06 Dec 2005 10:37:55 -0600

This blog is being used for Project 3 of my New Media Writing class. It will focus on the idea of blogging as journalism. I hope to interact with some reporters who report traditional newsprint, but also have a personal blog. I hope to find input on credibility of blogs, if the place you work should be able to control what kind of blogging you do, traditional news, the evolution of journalistic blogging, etc.

I know there is a slew of information out there on the topic, and I hope to give you some of that information in this new blog. Eat it up and enjoy!!