Loading ...Here’s an angle I hadn’t yet thought of. David Weinberger has an interesting anecdote about a piece about blogging that MSNBC wanted him to do to which he objected based on the fact that the piece implies that “the blogosphere consists of big voices arguing with one another — spit fights! — instead of 10 million real voices engaged in every variety of human conversation and delight”.
This works on two levels. It indicts the media for its constant attempt to cover only mainstream topics, and to do so in ways that simplify everything into an either/or, good/evil, left/right, with us/against us dichotomy. It also speaks to something I hadn’t thought of, which is the media’s attempt to control the image of bloggers. I know there has been much tension between bloggers and journalists, for example, over access to press conferences, or scooping of stories, or credibility on either side. It hadn’t occured to me that reporting on blogs might help marginilize or control them, making them look like nothing more than junior, and maybe illegitimate, versions of the mainstream media.
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Erik, I totally agree with what you say. Yup. the media look at blogs and see amateur media. You put it nicely. But I do want to make sure that it’s clear that it’s not like they said "Do this story or else!" Rather, we were kicking around ideas for stories, and they suggested one that caused an involuntary gag reflex to trigger. We went on to come up with 3 stories we all agreed on.
David, thanks for the clarification. I didn’t mean to suggest they were strongarming you or anything – their reaction is just interesting and telling.