Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[Steven Champeon <schampeo AT hesketh.com>]

on Wed, Apr 17, 2002 at 05:56:49PM -0400, Michael D. Thomas wrote:
> 
> The Blogging Revolution
> 
> http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.05/mustread.html?pg=2
> 
> "The second thing blogs do is - to invoke Marx - seize the means of
> production. It's hard to underestimate what a huge deal this is. For as long
> as journalism has existed, writers of whatever kind have had one route to
> readers: They needed an editor and a publisher. Even in the most benign
> scenario, this process subtly distorts journalism. You find yourself almost
> unconsciously writing to please a handful of people - the editors looking 
> for
> a certain kind of story, the publishers seeking to push a particular 
> venture,
> or the advertisers who influence the editors and owners. Blogging simply
> bypasses this ancient ritual."

Hrm. I've heard this take on blogs before, but seldom from someone who
obviously has so much to gain (or lose) from the idea catching on. By
admitting that he's making a profit, Sullivan immediately disqualifies
himself from the very group he's intending to align himself with: those
amateurs (amateur: one who does a thing for love, not money) who have
bypassed editorial and advertiser control over output.

I commented on this in a story by the Sacramento Bee last year:

 http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/story/1130656p-1198446c.html

There's an interesting debate to be had about the role of weblogs in
the process of journalism reinventing itself in the digital age, and
about the varying roles of journalism, reportage, and commentary in a
free society. One of the major roles of journalism, though - sifting
through the chaff to find the real kernels, and finding a true voice
and editorial mission - is, in my opinion, still best pursued as a
group with a leader capable of articulating a vision for that voice.

And if Sullivan thinks he's suddenly free from unconscious bias just
because he's using Blogger, he's sadly deluded.

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