Journalism's Backseat Drivers. American Journalism

V. Journalism's The ascendant blogosphere has rattled the news media with its tough critiques and nonstop scrutiny of their reporting. But the relationship between the two is nfiore complex than it might seem. In fact, if they stay out of the defensive crouch, the battered Backseat mainstream media may profit from the often vexing encounters. BY BARB PALSER hese are beleaguered times for news organizations. As if their problems "We see you behind the curtain...and we're not impressed by either with rampant ethical lapses and declin- ing readership and viewersbip aren't your bluster or your insults. You aren't higher beings, and everybody out enough, their competence and motives are being challenged by outsiders with here has the right—and ability—to fact-check your asses, and call you tbe gall to call them out before a global audience. on it when you screw up and/or say something stupid. You, and Eason Journalists are in the hot seat, their feet held to tbe flames by citizen bloggers Jordan, and Dan Rather, and anybody else in print or on television who believe mainstream media are no more trustwortby tban tbe politicians don't get free passes because you call yourself journalists.'" and corporations tbey cover, tbat journalists tbemselves bave become too lazy, too — Vodkapundit blogger Will Collier responding to CJR cloistered, too self-rigbteous to be tbe watcbdogs tbey once were. Or even to rec- Daily Managing Editor Steve Lovelady's characterization ognize what's news. Some track tbe trend back to late of bloggers as "salivating morons" 2002, wben bloggers latcbed onto U.S. Sen. Trent Lott's bigoted birtbday salute to Strom Thurmond while mainstream media dozed at the wheel (see "The "Please join us in this conversation. Ifs where the future is." Expanding Blogosphere," June/July 2004). Or even early 1998, when Matt — Greensboro News & Record Editor John Robinson, Drudge jumped Newsweek's Monica Lewinsky scoop. But if Lott and announcing a new "open source journalism" initiative at Lewinsky were end-runs around mainstream media, tbis has been the year of the paper tbe frontal assault. August/Seplember 2005 4S Journalism's Backseat Drivers Bloggers do more than skewer journalists; journalists have come to depend on them as diggers and aggregators of information, conduits of public opinion and even media and policy pundits. Tbe power of political bloggers to push points memo on Terri Schiavo. While found that 53 percent of American mainstream media matured during the bloggers were not tbe first to cballenge adults often don't trust what news 2004 presidential campaign. That sum- Newsweek's report of Quran abuse at organizations are telling them. And a mer, blogs were credited witb sustaining Guantdnamo, tbey amplified tbe blast of new First Amendment Center/AJR poll buzz about the Swift Boat Veterans' chal- blame tbat followed. In each case main- bas found tbat just 33 percent think that lenges to Jobn Kerr^s war record for sev- stream media bore a brutal lashing—and "the news media tries to report tbe news eral weeks, until the Kerry campaign and the more they stonewalled, the worse it without bias." Of the 64 percent who dis- mainstream media responded. In tbe fall, got. agreed witb that statement, 42 percent bloggers won their defining victory by Bloggers' charges against journalism strongly disagreed. (See "A Source of swarming over memos cited in CBS begin with gross negligence: omission, Encouragement," page 30.) News' investigation of President Bush's laziness, herd-think. (How else could the It's tempting to compare tbe heyday of National Guard service. Bloggers also U.S. press have been so investigative journalism with political badgered a senior news executive at CNN collectively lackadaisical blogging today. But the scenario is hardly into resigning, forced the Associated in covering the Downing as simple as "journalists wrong, bloggers Press to tell the back story of a Pulitzer Street memos that sug- right." Bloggers do more tban skewer Prize-winning picture and accused ABC gested the Busb adminis- journalists; journalists bave come to News and the Wasbington Post of misre- tration massaged evi- depend on tbem as diggers and aggrega- porting tbe source of a RepublicEin talking dence to make its case for tors of information, conduits of public tbe war in Iraq?) But it opinion and even media and policy pim- goes farther tban tbat. Bill Mitchell dits. At tbe same time, bloggers are wrong The intensity of disdain at least as often as mainstream media from some quarters of tbe blogosphere and prone to tbe same lapses of conduct— "suggests a kind of underlying suspicion, which explains why many professionals anger, resentment that a lot of people are less than gracious in receiving their hold for tbe media," says Bill Mitchell, jabs. director of publishing and online editor at Tbe state of the blogosphere is also tbe Poynter Institute and a former news- fluid and fast-developing. The first line of paper reporter and editor. "Tbis question blog swarms pounded tbe national press, of bad journalism suddenly becomes but bloggers are already growing more biased journalism." enmeshed in poUticEd causes and becom- The media's credibility problems are ing more active at the local level. How well establisbed. The most frequently bloggers are moderated in tbese activi- cited of several studies is a survey by the ties—^by an implicit and self-imposed Pew Research Center for tbe People & code of conduct, government regulation or the Press released in June 2004, which nothing at all—will influence tbeir role in American Journalism Review Journalism s Backseat Drivers tomorrow's mass communication land- think tank Media Matters for America); But blogs don't need a large audience scape. How tbe mainstream media react and Talking Points Memo (run by if tbey bave an influential one. What mat- to bloggers and other challenging voic- reporter and columnist Joshua Micah ters is blogs' readership among the tradi- es—by ignoring tbem, engaging them or Marshall). Tbese people are the warriors tional joumabsts wbo still mediate most attempting to co-opt them—will do tbe "wbo put on tbeir armor and sit down at of our news. According to a 2005 same. tbe typewriter to do battle, and judge University of Connecticut study, 41 per- tbeir success by how many dragons tbey cent of journalists access blogs at least slay tbat day," says David D. Perlmutter, once a week and 55 percent say tbey read a senior fellow at Louisiana State blogs as part of their work duties. University's Reilly Center for Media & Operating through traditional media, Public Affairs. bloggers appear to be influencing mass The otber camp of A-List hloggers communication in tbree ways: includes pundits wbom Perlmutter • The least frequent but most describes as "sages wbo stand above tbe dramatic way is policing the media. partisan fray and talk about bloggers as a Ratbergate was a perfect swarm because 0 understand tbe bebav- philosophy, a phenomenon." The ubiqui- tbere was raw evidence, ior of journalism's backseat drivers, it's tous maestros of pundit blogging are New documents tbat could be important to know wbo tbey are. And York University journalism professor Jay dissected and evaluated tbat's not always so easy—many bloggers Rosen and Jeff Jarvis, consultant to by the blogospbere's col- defy classification. One post migbt con- About.com and former president of online lective expertise. Tbe tain lucid analysis of a news report, the media publisber Advance.net. Tbeir tbrill was even more grat- next a wild accusation, the next a photo of hlogs, PressTbink and BuzzMacbine, ifying for bloggers, says tbe blogger's poodle. "Tbere's no sorting of abound with insigbt and commentary on Pew's Cornfield, becatise journalism blogs from academic blogs tbe news media—how tbey're evolving, mainstream media caught Michael from partisan blogs from blogs tbat are wbat's broken, why cultural and techno- on and joined the chase. Cornfield one thing one day and anotber thing logical cbanges matter. Neither is soft on Meanwbile CBS News another," says Michael Cornfield, senior tbe press, especially wben they detect fueled tbe fire by clinging to its disinte- research consultant for the Pew Internet arrogance and archaic thinking. grating story and blaming the uproar on & American Life Project. There's also a It's through these blogs and a dozen or "partisan political operatives." (See Full sea of blogs that bave nothing to do with so otbers tbat every bona fide blog swarm Court Press, February/Marcb.) media or politics—technology blogs, flows. Of course talking ahout the top Otber times, it's a lack of documenta- celebrity blogs, pop culture blogs, bobby bloggers neglects the vast infantry of tion or unclear sourcing tbat sustains tbe blogs and a depressing number of vapid unsung bloggers and readers wbo con- swarm. After a rookie blogger reported personal blogs. stantly supply feedback, ideas and tips CNN executive Eason Jordan's remarks Tbat said, certain hloggers bave tbat enricb their conversations. More at the World Economic Forum in January earned reputations for being consistently often than not, blog swarms start witb lit- (Jordan allegedly claimed US. troops bad good at deftly filtering tbe Internet and tle blogs tbat feed bigger hlogs. deliberately targeted journalists in Iraq), providing sbarp analysis of current it was the forum's refiisa! to release a events. Tbe so-called "A-list" of political tape and CNN's failure to try to get it to bloggers generally falls into two cate- do so that incensed bloggers the most (see gories: partisans and pundits.

Load more