overland literary journal

blogging and journalism

Posted by Jeff on 30-01-2009

Margaret Simons has an interesting piece about how much  blogging has changed journalists' perception of their work. Paul Bradshaw says this of his survey:

As I pored over the results, I was surprised at just how much these journalists felt their work had been changed by the simple act of blogging. I had expected some effect on their relationship with the “former audience,” but what surprised me most was when more than half of the blogging journalists said this relationship had been “enormously” or “completely” transformed.

In most cases, the journalists' reaction seems largely positive. I did, however, note this response:

Well, you never finish, do you? You write something that may or may not spark a conversation, and you’ve got to be ready for that conversation even if it happens months later.

If you're blogging from home, that sense of never finishing is probably a good thing. But if you're a professional journalist, it might well have other connotations. It would be interesting to know how many people working in the media saw the interactivity of blogging as simply adding to their responsibilities. Not only do you write your story but you're expected to post it somewhere and then respond, often on your own time, to anyone who comments.