(hey Mullenweg, where’s that “recover post” button…eh…guess I’ll just write it again and save frequently.)
SJSU’s own Prof. Craig weighed in on the “Now who exactly is it that’s a journalist?” question in an op-ed piece in today’s San Jose Mercury news.
Prof. Craig, who teaches the grad class I’m taking this semester (full disclosure: my grades are fine, and this blog is in no way connected to that class other than being a good idea…I think.)
The Prof’s point is that not all bloggers are journalists, and that most people know journalism when they see it:
“The overwhelming majority of blogs on the Web have nothing to do with journalism — most provide nothing more newsworthy than photos of a blogger’s children, discussions of a recent vacation or perhaps opinions on such weighty questions as “Why are the drivers around here such idiots?” A tiny minority choose to gather and report news, and, among these, there are outlets both legitimate and loony.”
I’m reminded of what Robert Scoble said at the Spartan Daily office earlier this semester when asked
“Is blogging journalism?” “It is if it is.” – Scoble
Simply put, journalism is journalism, and the weblog is a medium. Prof. Craig writes “Declaring that blogs equal journalism is like saying that television equals journalism — people mistake the medium for the message.”
Amen to that.
More on the BlogoJournoSphere tomorrow night at SJSU.