Are Bloggers Journalists?

BLOGGERS VS JOURNALISTS

Bloggers

A blogger is someone who is likely to wear many hats and individual bloggers will fall in to many categories depending upon the subject or subjects to which they write but the successful blogger should view themselves, above all else, as a service provider. They have to provide the information which visitors are seeking and in a way which the visitor will like. This encourages the visitor to click on their Google Ads, perhaps buy any affiliate products they are selling, return at a later date for further information or perhaps even recommend the blog to their friends or link to it on their own blog or website. We must never therefore lose site of these facts and this designation when considering what we are and what we do as bloggers.

A blogger is by extension a journalist. They are reporting information which they consider will be of value to others and keeping them up to date on the subject. Many blogs can be viewed as mini providers of news services, providing updates on a whole host of different events and occurrences.

Journalists

A journalist collects and disseminates information about current events, people, trends, and issues. His or her work is acknowledged as journalism.

Reporters are one type of journalist. They create reports as a profession for broadcast or publication in mass media such as newspapers, television,radio, magazines, documentary film, or the Internet. Reporters find sources for their work, their reports can be either spoken or written, and they are often expected to report in the most objective and unbiased way to serve the public good. A columnist is a journalist who writes pieces that appear regularly in newspapers or magazines.

Depending on the context, the term journalist also includes various types of editors and visual journalists, such as photographers, graphic artists, and page designers.

What Makes Bloggers Qualify As Citizen Journalists?

Citizen journalism involves everyday individuals in the providing of news and other journalistic endeavors. Whether it’s a factual report of happenings in a small town, or big, or whether it’s an opinion article based on the political issues of the day, individuals are able to contribute relevant pieces to the online community, without the necessity of a degree or credential.  There are a number of venues for doing so through writing communities, video sharing websites, and photo sites, but blogging is perhaps one of the most common means of becoming involved as a citizen journalist. 

Blogs, or weblogs, have been a means of communication for many years, and have become increasingly user friendly in the process.  It takes a matter of minutes to set up a blog, and to begin to publish one’s own articles.  Some bloggers strictly use the venue as a way of journaling, while others use it as a means to keep friends and family up to date on their life events.  Some use blogs to publish their creative writing, other for keeping track of recipes.  Still others use this means of online self publishing to express opinion.  While there are many reasons for maintaining a blog, not every blogger is necessarily a citizen journalist at work.

The idea of citizen journalism suggests providing of relevant information for others to consider, whether in the process of studying sides of an issue, or whether in looking for facts about an event or area.  Few individuals outside of one’s family really care to read that little Johnnie took his first steps, or that the stomach flu has spread through the family and led to multiple loads of vomit filled laundry.  These personal journal types of blogs are really just that:  personal.  Perhaps a famous individual would find fans hanging on such pieces of news, but not the mainstream.  Otherwise, this is more about social networking than citizen journalism.

Further, bloggers whose writing skills lack are probably not top notch citizen journalists, in that their work may be difficult to follow.  Those who lack a sense of organization in putting an article together, as well, may be aspiring citizen journalists, but not necessarily those who would be much read.  Some might not aim for that following, anyway.  But then, there are those who begin with a concept, and find that their blogs take off in terms of readership, traffic, and popularity, whether or not it was the goal. 

There are many blogs published by professional journalists, and as well, by professional organizations.  The fact that these individuals and organizations make use of such a device suggests that blogs meet a need in the journalistic field, whether supplementing a topic with articles about related sub-topics, or whether by including relevant opinion pieces.  The citizen journalist, likewise, can self publish his own opinion or perspective about a topic of interest in the mainstream.

Citizen journalists have the unique opportunity to provide information at a local level, whether by photography, writing, video, or a combination.  Within the scope of a blog, that individual has access to stories that would potentially elude a news network, and has the opportunity to bring such stories to light.

Citizen journalism does not replace the need for professional journalism, by any means.  It does, however, amplify the profession.  Bloggers who aim for a high standard of writing, along with relevant photography and video, are able to supply information at a much more local and personal level, and most certainly may be considered citizen journalists.