Mark Evans

The Blogger/Journalist

Mike Urlocker, a super-smart friend who has just gotten into blogging, puts the spotlight on an intriguing, if not controversial, question: should journalists blog? This was sparked by a post on The Guardian's Web site: "Can Journalists Be Bloggers?" that suggests blogger/journalists have to operate in a more formal way that adhers to professional standards, which means things such as objectivity, fairness, etc. The author, Bill Thompson, who teaches online journalist at City University, suggests this behaviour contrasts to "regular" bloggers who can "rank, comment, express bizarre points of view or promote their latest acquisitions or obsessions with no concern for conflict of interest or internal consistency". No offense but that's a sweeping generalization and patronizing given there are many, many smart, insightful bloggers doing much better work than many journalists these days.
  So perhaps I can offer some perspective as a journalist who has blogged for two years, albeit on my own blog (Mark Evans) as opposed for the National Post (although I'm hoping to do that soon). I'll admit there are standards - at least personal standards - that come into play when I blog. I attempt to be objective, which means not being overly-critical or harsh while still providing insight and perspective. Those are just personal principles, although they're probably an offshoot of being a journalist. The biggest challenge for many blogger/journalists is balancing the two worlds - the immediacy and let's have a conversation spirit of the blogosphere vs. the formal approach of newspaper reporting. There's also the struggle between what's a blog post and a news story, which is complicated by the fact they can sometimes be the same thing. At the end of the day, many journalists will have no choice but to blog if newspapers are going to survive and thrive. I think these blogs will be written differently than newspaper stories with a bit more personal colour. Blog are also going to be important tools to build a closer relationship with readers, which will means the "conversation" will go both ways rather than reporters broadcasting to readers. Bill Thompson's post illustrates some of the growing pains that many newspapers and journalists are going to experience as they scramble to adapt to Newspaper 2.0 or Journalism 2.0. The reality is there are no hard and fast rules right now, which will make for plenty of live discussion in the months ago.