The blogospere is quickly becoming recognized for its
production of citizen journalism. This fairly new phenomenon
of “blogging” and citizen journalism is garnering
interest from all areas of the media world -- from scholars
to corporate media heavies. Positive and negative analysis
abounds about the effects of citizen media. Corporations
see the marketing value in the large audiences attracted
to independent bloggers. At the same time, non-commercial
artists can publish themselves with ease, and philosophers,
politicians and lawyers have new fodder for their angst.
Because of its multiple uses the place of blogging in the
media world appears a paradox. Yet whatever shortcomings
blogs may have, they are likely to become a new tool for
understanding citizen dialogue.
The Blogosphere
When does a blog cease to be a blog and become just another
mainstream media source? A blog or weblog is unlike an
online journal or standard information website in that
its format is much like a one-sided chat transcript. The
blog must be constantly replenished with new dialogue to
keep it active. There are currently 5 million blogs counted
as making up the blogosphere. This number grows everyday.
Many blogs recount personal histories aimed at small audiences.
However, more and more blogs are seeking out wider audiences
with more community directed messages, particularly in
the area of news media. With so many blogs in existence,
sites
of citizen journalism are at risk of becoming incidental.
Yet regardless of the pitfalls of popularity, blogging
is now responsible for some of the most widely circulating
news.
Coverage of Hurricane Katrina is a good example of an event
dependent on citizen reporting. With the scarce resources
available (and heavy political strain) in New Orleans – citizen
reporting through blogs has become a mainstay of reporting
the disaster without commercial interests interfering.
In addition to news, blogs reporting on Hurricane Katrina
also act as message boards to help orchestrate search and
rescue and the delivery of much needed resources. This
phenomenon can also be see with blogs reporting on the
Iraq war, where citizens weary of an increasingly galvanized
political atmosphere are taking the news into their own
hands. Citizen Bloggers
In terms of coverage, citizen journalists and personal bloggers really have no
infrastructure to organize audience coverage. The independent and communal
nature of blogging makes the concept of “audience” in the commercial
sense sound somewhat trite and misplaced. Jacob Krarup, professional programmer
and recreational blogger, reflects these thoughts. “In terms of a blog’s
communal coverage it becomes an issue between the hassles of managing access
versus does it matter if anyone sees it?” Krarup says. “In my case,
for example it was ‘I want to share this stuff with people I know, because
I know they'll be marginally interested.’ Blogs are good tools of public
dialogue because there’s no entry barrier. Anyone can do it: a soldier
in Iraq; a bored teenager; a housewife. It is also anonymous, or can be. Through
blogging
one has access to perspectives they wouldn’t normally be exposed to.”
Or, for that matter, people may be free to express in ways
they wouldn’t
normally - so we would like to think. There are already many stories of people
being fired from their jobs for personal blog content.
Learning the Law
Professional servants of media -- writers, photographers
and journalists – are usually well versed in the workings
of copyright law, liability and defamation. To be held liable
or to defame must be a conscious effort in which gains – philosophical
or monetary – outweigh legal repercussions. No such
measures are needed to start a blog. As of yet there are
no blogging departments in universities or colleges. Fortunately
the blogosphere, self-taught from the beginning, has produced
its own tools for learning the law.
Some of the easier things to watch out for: use of trademarks,
plagiarism, copyright infringement, and going against company
policy (your own company’s policy – every one
is going to be different after all) and confidentiality.
If you work for a company that requires a certain level of
confidentiality from its employees (something you would find
in an employee manual, or perhaps as a clause in your contract)
than don’t introduce your workplace to your blog.
Despite the possible legal repercussions of citizen journalism,
blogging should persevere. This age of information and communications
technology calls for more open dialogue in a global community.
More and more sociologists see the value of personal histories
as a valuable point of reference. Blogging, should it remain
in its current state, is just the kind of communication tool
that represents the information age.
Do you have a comment or feedback on
this article? Email
us and let us know what you think.
|
