Search Engines Level the Playing Field for Bloggers - Is This Journalism?
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The new Yahoo searching system for finding news has essentially three levels. The first level of search results starts with the links to top ten stories and related images from mainstream news organizations on the main Yahoo News site. Then, they diverge from there. Readers searching for further details will be taken to a second-level news site, which splits the page between news from 6,500 professional sources and links to the hundreds of thousands of blogs available from its syndication service.
It is in this level that professional journalists have the ethical issue, because the expanded search just stops short of blurring all lines between edited news and self-publishing. One could even go so far as to say that professional journalists are almost outraged at this blend of what they consider reputable news and the-average-Joe’s weblog.
"We do try to demarcate what is mainstream media and what is user-generated content so that there is no confusion there," Redfern said. But for the professional journalist, this may not be enough. To the untrained eye, searchers may not understand the subtle difference. They also may simply not care.
There are two valid drastic views for either side that I want to point out. One is from the voice of the professional media, and the other is from the bloggers. These same bloggers feel that it is the same school of thought that has prompted Yahoo’s approach to blending blogs with and news sources.
What is Journalism?
Journalism is defined as, “the profession of reporting or photographing or editing news stories for one of the media, or a style of writing for presenting bare facts to describe news events.” Journalism is also considered a discipline of collecting, verifying, reporting and analyzing information gathered regarding current events, including trends, issues and people.
To be honest, there is really nothing in the definition of journalism that states that someone who doesn’t write for money, or have edited content, or even receive a particular qualification, is not a journalist. In short, there is nothing which dictates the difference between the professional and the blogger. In fact, blogging can certainly qualify as journalism.
Next: The Professional's View of Journalism >>
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