Blogs, news and journalists Or Whose News Is It Anyway

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Blogs, news and journalistsOr Whose News Is It
Anyway?

• Jo Twist
• BBC News website technology reporter
• jo.twist_at_bbc.co.uk
• 11 October 2005

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• The Roman Empire that was mass media is breaking
  up, and we are entering an almost feudal period
  where there will be many more centers of power
  and influence.
• Orville Schell, dean of UC-Berkeley journalism
  school
• Business Week

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• 18.9 million blogs tracked by search engine
  Technorati
• One blog created every second

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• Strategic
• Personal
• Political
• News / eyewitness
• Niche
• Filters

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• Freedom of the press belongs to those who own
  one, and blogging means practically anyone can
  own one. That is the number one reason why
  weblogs matter a blog, you see, is a little
  First Amendment machine.
• Jay Rosen, press critic

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• I do not underestimate the tests before us. We
  may never become true digital natives, but we can
  and must begin to assimilate to our audiences
  culture and way of thinking. It is a monumental,
  once-in-a-generation opportunity, but it is also
  an exciting one, because if were successful, our
  industry has the potential to reshape itself, and
  to be healthier than ever before.
• Rupert Murdoch

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• How have blogs speeded up the delivery of news?

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• Fast turnaround
• News in 45 mins to 1 hour
• Need immediate feed
• Need immediate reaction and comment

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• Will check traditional news sources
• Blogs for original stories
• Blogs for opinion
• Blogs for rumours
• Blogs for offbeat news

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• Transformed my newsgathering
• RSS key
• Given vertical depth to newsgathering
• Blogs reflect of wider conversation about news

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• Blogs will have absolute latest
• PR websites dont
• Often they are first Scobelizer
• Not enough RSS on sites
• Dont have time to go searching
• Need it to come to me

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• Bloggers, through their links are dictating what
  is important on the net because they are
  basically linking to things that make Google
  think its very important.
• Simon Waldman, Guardian Unlimited
• Blogs as network for our content
• Blogs are not a threat
• We should not call them they
• We use our privileged position as journalists to
  check story
• People trust the news if they see it on BBC

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• What do journalists expect from corporate blogs?

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• I firmly believe that the point of weblogging is
  not merely to have your own blog, but to
  participate more fully in the public
  conversation. This means reading and commenting
  on other peoples blogs ideally at least as
  much as you post in your own.
• Amy Gahran

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• Corporate blogs not a habit
• Scobelizer is influential and valuable
• But he is not official Microsoft blogger
• Corporate blogs should be real
• (would rather listen to a podcast)

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• Updated daily
• Specialist knowledge or links
• Informal personal tone
• Reporting debate and being a filter
• Informative
• Outward linking
• Authoritative
• Encouraging conversation
• Trustworthy

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• But unless you get things right, you will be poo
  pooed
• Format and RSSTone
• Content
• Engagement with others through comments

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• Blogging is decentralising news and opinion
• Works well with media producer such as the BBC
  which is supposed to be impartial
• Bloggers link to us and form opinion
• We provide balanced view

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• Blogging is a global public conversation
• Bloggers talk about the BBC
• Informal public watchdogs
• Our role as the fact checkers
• People trust us

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(No Transcript)
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• To my knowledge, this is a first. The article
  did not credit the photographer, Camoby, so it's
  unclear if the BBC purchased these images or if
  he works on staff or he simply let them use the
  photos gratis. His web site, however, does
  feature a BBC ticker. What's known is that these
  images were not published under a Creative
  Commons license. Now I am not accusing the BBC of
  any wrong doing. However, I do find it
  fascinating that the BBC may be pulling in
  consumer-generated images from Flickr rather than
  shooting their own work. If anyone has more
  information, it would be appreciated.
• Steve Rubel, Micropersuasion

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• What is more important, speed or truth?

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• Weather predicting pegs
• Embargoed
• Already blogged
• So do we it?

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• Our job is to be accurate, not necessarily the
  first to report the news
• But speed still matters!

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• Challenges news and media
• Chance to engage and to tell all sides of the
  story
• Make us accountable
• If you neglect blogosphere you risk disengagement
  and alienation
• Blogs as reaction to patronising media

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• Blogs offer challenges to PR
• Have to decide who YOUR audience is
• Recognise the value of blogs as global public
  conversation and word of mouth
• Beware the Chinese Whispers!
• Remember the rules of engagement

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What they show us

• The iPod and mobile generation no longer want to
  be tethered to tradition news outlets
• It wants news and information when it wants it,
  wherever it is, and from which ever voice it
  chooses
• With the collaboration of traditional news and
  media organisations, a revolutionary future
  landscape can be defined

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• Wikipedia
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weblog
• Corporate Blogging Killer App Or Corporate
  Killer? - Kent Lewis
• http//www.webpronews.com/enterprise/enterpriseonl
  ine/wpn-13-20051005CorporateBloggingKillerApporCor
  porateKiller.html
• Auto-updated every 5 minutes, it uncovers the
  most relevant items from thousands of news sites
  and weblogs
• http//tech.memeorandum.com/
• Scripting News
• http//scripting.com/
• Contentious Amy Gahran
• http//www.contentious.com/
• Scobelizer
• http//radio.weblogs.com/0001011/

jo.twist_at_bbc.co.uk