Scan-N-Land

In praise of gatekeepers, part III

Following up on Kathy's posts (Part I and Part II), the American Journalism Review looks at blogging and the issues it has raised for newspapers.

There are news-driven blogs, but other newspapers appear to have gone overboard. Is it really necessary to have bowling or fly-fishing blogs?

Spokesmanreview.com is a good example of blogging gone wild. They list 33 staff blogs in their "Blog Central" and links to more than I cared to count in a section called Inland Northwest Bloggers. One of those local blogs is The Unbearable Bobness of Being by Bob Salsbury (right) who enjoys carving evil little trolls out of bars of soap.

Right now, newspapers are grappling with blogs. Should they be edited? Should they be opened to readers or just for staff? Should non-staff blogs be held to the same standards as staff blogs?

While there is a rush now by newspapers to set up blogs, the real test will come when the first libel suit is filed.

But in the meantime, Dallas Morning News Editorial Page Editor Keven Ann Willey gave AJR 10 blogging tips including: Go for the quick hit, light touch, witty aside. Attitude required. Don't write anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Her full list is in the AJR link.

-- Mark H.

posted by Mark H. @ 12/05/2006 01:41:00 PM