Sunday, January 17, 2010
Becoming a blogger
When I started a blog in 2007, I thought I was becoming a journalist. In fact, I simply read various pieces of the same story, summarized the issue and wrote about why it was important. I didn't create original reports but I educated others about international events and civil rights with links to studies, agencies, and yes, The New York Times, among other news sites.
As a blogger, I can write stories from my point of view, in my own words. I can say I think Sharia law destroys women's livelihood and Russians are encouraging over population by paying families to have more kids. I rarely use the word "should" because it doesn't fit my nature unless I am being paid to lobby a cause.
My blog for journalism class was different than my first blog. I reported on local governmental issues in Eugene. I felt like a reporter because I would have written the clips for a newspaper as I wrote them for the blog.
The difference between these two experiences showed me that audience is the most important distinction in whether or not one blogger is a blogger-journalist and another is a blogger-blogger. When I intend my audience for news-seeking locals, I write like a journalist. But when I want to both educate people and make my personal point on a subject, I write like a blogger.
As a blogger, I can write stories from my point of view, in my own words. I can say I think Sharia law destroys women's livelihood and Russians are encouraging over population by paying families to have more kids. I rarely use the word "should" because it doesn't fit my nature unless I am being paid to lobby a cause.
My blog for journalism class was different than my first blog. I reported on local governmental issues in Eugene. I felt like a reporter because I would have written the clips for a newspaper as I wrote them for the blog.
The difference between these two experiences showed me that audience is the most important distinction in whether or not one blogger is a blogger-journalist and another is a blogger-blogger. When I intend my audience for news-seeking locals, I write like a journalist. But when I want to both educate people and make my personal point on a subject, I write like a blogger.
# posted by CourtneyH @ 7:11 AM 0 Comments
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