Comments on: The Land of Make-Believe http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe design.ui.technology.art.interaction.writing.creativity.politics.environment.family Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:34:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Brian http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-13 Brian Fri, 16 Jul 2004 21:24:51 +0000 http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-13 "...calls bloggers “pretend journalists” because “they thrive on rumor and innuendo..." Oh that's just some self-serving hand writing by a prof who wants more people to study "real" journalism in universities. Most bloggers don't claim that their blogs represent journalism. They are opinions. Surely a fancy university professor knows the difference between news journalism and opinion columns. With a few exceptions, my essays aren't journalism any more than Tom Friedman's column. Neither of us claim that it is. The only difference is, as the person above suggested, the medium. Mine are done in a blog and Friedman's in the NYT. “…calls bloggers “pretend journalists” because “they thrive on rumor and innuendo…”

Oh that’s just some self-serving hand writing by a prof who wants more people to study “real” journalism in universities.

Most bloggers don’t claim that their blogs represent journalism. They are opinions. Surely a fancy university professor knows the difference between news journalism and opinion columns.

With a few exceptions, my essays aren’t journalism any more than Tom Friedman’s column. Neither of us claim that it is. The only difference is, as the person above suggested, the medium. Mine are done in a blog and Friedman’s in the NYT.

]]> By: Ryan Freebern http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-12 Ryan Freebern Fri, 16 Jul 2004 00:21:35 +0000 http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-12 Kris, A lot of papers these days run pages and pages of inane polls, human-interest stories, and photos of kittens and babies. Seems not that far from a lot of the weblogs I've seen! I tend to think the weblogs in question here aren't the masses of angstful teenagers on LiveJournal and Xanga, though. Kris,
A lot of papers these days run pages and pages of inane polls, human-interest stories, and photos of kittens and babies. Seems not that far from a lot of the weblogs I’ve seen!

I tend to think the weblogs in question here aren’t the masses of angstful teenagers on LiveJournal and Xanga, though.

]]> By: Joe Mason http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-11 Joe Mason Thu, 15 Jul 2004 22:53:51 +0000 http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-11 Canada's National Post is doing a good job at getting blogs - their editorial board blogs in realtime at http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/blog/, and their print edition had a section publishing extracts from political blogs during the recent Canadian election. Canada’s National Post is doing a good job at getting blogs - their editorial board blogs in realtime at http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/comment/blog/, and their print edition had a section publishing extracts from political blogs during the recent Canadian election.

]]> By: Kris http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-10 Kris Thu, 15 Jul 2004 21:19:40 +0000 http://ryan.freebern.org/2004/07/15/the-land-of-make-believe#comment-10 It's not the medium that's important, it's the journalism. There are good newspapers (LA Times, Washington Post), and there are bad newspapers (The Weekly World News, The Globe). The same can be said of weblogs. Thankfully, there aren't newspapers dedicated to the results of "Which 80's Sitcom are you?" quizzes. If ever there was a compelling indictment of weblogs, it's that. It’s not the medium that’s important, it’s the journalism. There are good newspapers (LA Times, Washington Post), and there are bad newspapers (The Weekly World News, The Globe). The same can be said of weblogs.

Thankfully, there aren’t newspapers dedicated to the results of “Which 80’s Sitcom are you?” quizzes. If ever there was a compelling indictment of weblogs, it’s that.

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