Best Practices in Blogging

Presentation courtesy of

Are Bloggers Journalists?

• 52% of bloggers consider themselves to be journalists

• 20% of bloggers derive the majority of their income from their blog work

• But are bloggers the same as journalists?

Source: 2010 PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey

Is It Journalism?

• Most have not “trained” to be journalists– 57% of bloggers include links to original sources

either “sometimes” or “often.” – 56% of bloggers spend extra time trying to verify

facts they want to include in a post either “sometimes” or “often.”

SOURCE: PEW INSTITUTE 2006 SURVEY

Opinion & Ideology

• Blogging is often personal in nature and told from a definite point of view

• “Traditional journalism” is different

Traditional Journalism

• “Fair and balanced” reporting is the goal• Despite limitations of time and resources, we

strive to gather and present facts in an unbiased way

It’s not about “You”

• Challenge your own assumptions and those of your readers

• Logic, intellect and research should prevail over emotion, gut instinct and personal belief systems

Bias

• Bias in the news and blogging can take many forms– Word choices– Image choices– Omission of information– Selection of sources– Story framing & context

Word Choices

• Whether intentional or not, the words you choose may reveal your personal views

• Stay neutral and stick to the facts• Interactive Exercise: – Word Choices– Headline Choices

Image Choices

• What graphic or image should accompany your story?

• Can you think of examples where the image captures something different than the physical reality of the event?

• Interactive Exercise: Image Choices

Omission of Information

• Who sets the mainstream media news agenda?

• What gets covered or ignored?• Interactive Exercise: Omissions

Selection of Sources

• Should you exclude a viewpoint to reinforce your own agenda or belief?

• Interactive Exercise: Sources

Story Framing & Context

• On the Web, the earliest reports are often amplified by others

• Stories are “framed” and contextualized by the journalist (but also by others)

• Interactive Exercise: Story Framing

Examples: The Aggregators

• Drudge Report– Conservative in nature– Monica Lewinsky/Bill

Clinton Scandal

• Huffington Post– Liberal response to

Drudge Report

The Aggregators

• Beyond news, there are several popular aggregate blog sites for specific areas of interest

• Examples:– Technorati.com– BoingBoing.net

“Crowdsourcing”

• “Crowdsourcing” is a new trend in online journalism that has many supporters and skeptics

What is “Crowdsourcing?”

• A collaborative form of reporting• Each contributor researches and contributes a

component to the overall piece• The actual story may or may not be written by a

collaborator• Content is usually overseen by a centralized editor

“Pro-Am” Journalism

• Crowdsourcing is often referred to as “pro-am journalism”– A combination of both professional and amateur

contributions

More Resources

• University of Michigan’s News Bias Explored• Pew Research’s State of the News Media

Report• PRWeek/PR Newswire Media Survey