Photo for Glenn Fleishman

Blog

Writing

What I Do

Biography

GlennLog

Turning technology from mumbo-jumbo into rich tasty gumbo

< Strike Three, But I'm Still in the Game | Main | How the ISBN Helped Bhutan >

September 25, 2002

Blogging and Journalism

J.D. Lasica posted a partial transcript of a panel discussion that he, Dan Gillmor, Rebecca Blood, Meg Hourihan, and Scott Rosenberg were on in front a group of journalism students. The discussion is terrific, because these folks represent a nice cross-section of journalists who blog and bloggers who have become journalists in a more traditional sense. (I'm also mentioned in passing, thank you, Dan.)

One of the points that I come away with from this discussion is that the real crux of the difference between journalism and personal blogging is a very fine amount of intermediation. Instead of the heavy intermediation that happens between a newspaper journalist writing and the account that appears in the newspapers, blogging journalism involves fewer people and fewer changes.

What's interesting about the nice reference to me in the article is how Dan puts a face on a point he's making: I like what was just mentioned about the individual expert who does something so well that in effect they become journalists in the traditional sense. For me, it's gone both directions: my blog has given me the credibility that's extended me back into a variety of print publications, including InfoWorld (see this coming Monday's edition), Macworld (Bluetooth knowledge), and The New York Times (although I was writing occasionally for them, the Wi-Fi blog has resulted in stories they've asked me to write or that I've pitched).

For freelancers, a blog like mine, on a focused topic, can truly change your career.

Posted by Glennf at September 25, 2002 3:39 PM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:

Comments

I agree with you: it only works for me because I have a lot of things to say, a lot of variable time (sometimes cranking on paid work for weeks, sometimes with a few hours a day to work on blog-related matters). The freelance life isn't lucrative, but it's all working out so far.

Posted by: Glenn Fleishman at September 27, 2002 5:44 PM

The USC forum raised the question "why don't more journalists blog?" The freelance/blogger model needs to be perfected and propagated. Please keep talking about how/why this works for you.

Posted by: henrycopeland at September 27, 2002 10:04 AM

MegaGlennFeed


October 2011
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30 31          

Recent Entries

Archives


October 2011 | August 2011 | June 2011 | May 2011 | February 2011 | December 2010 | November 2010 | October 2010 | September 2010 | August 2010 | July 2010 | June 2010 | May 2010 | April 2010 | January 2010 | December 2009 | November 2009 | October 2009 | September 2009 | August 2009 | July 2009 | May 2009 | April 2009 | March 2009 | February 2009 | January 2009 | December 2008 | November 2008 | October 2008 | September 2008 | August 2008 | July 2008 | June 2008 | May 2008 | April 2008 | March 2008 | February 2008 | January 2008 | December 2007 | November 2007 | October 2007 | September 2007 | August 2007 | July 2007 | June 2007 | May 2007 | April 2007 | March 2007 | February 2007 | January 2007 | December 2006 | November 2006 | October 2006 | September 2006 | August 2006 | July 2006 | June 2006 | May 2006 | April 2006 | March 2006 | February 2006 | January 2006 | December 2005 | November 2005 | October 2005 | September 2005 | August 2005 | July 2005 | June 2005 | May 2005 | April 2005 | March 2005 | February 2005 | January 2005 | December 2004 | November 2004 | October 2004 | September 2004 | August 2004 | July 2004 | June 2004 | May 2004 | April 2004 | March 2004 | February 2004 | January 2004 | December 2003 | November 2003 | October 2003 | September 2003 | August 2003 | July 2003 | June 2003 | May 2003 | April 2003 | March 2003 | February 2003 | January 2003 | December 2002 | November 2002 | October 2002 | September 2002 | August 2002 | July 2002 | June 2002 | May 2002 | April 2002 | March 2002 | February 2002 | January 2002 | December 2001 | November 2001 | October 2001 |

Powered by Movable Type 3.33