The Internet world has exploded into a primary source of breaking national and international news, a forum for people to opine and criticize, and a rapid mode of modern communication. However, slowly but surely, the Internet world is infringing on the world of print journalism - leaving some journalists-in-training terrified.
In recent years, blogs, as well as Real Simple Syndication (known by Internet junkies as RSS), have become the outlet for people to report their daily lives. A blog can be as simple as a daily journal entry for the world to see or as complex as a news report on what's happening behind corporate walls coming from a mere individual with the need to unmask truth via internet. But how can a person browsing a blog be sure what has been exposed is "the truth?"
It seems as though the sick, sad world of blogging has twisted the minds of many Americans. People are relying on other, regular, everyday Americans to report to them what is going on in the world according to the blogger - leaving the people who were trained for years on the principles of journalism in the dust.
According to www.editorandpublisher.com, The Pew Research Center for The People and The Press and The Pew Internet and American Life Project conducted a telephone survey of 2,000 people and found in 2004 the use of newspapers fell hard from 60 percent to 39 percent. The survey also revealed 43 percent of Americans who relied on the Web during the election season visited sites such as www.cnn.com and www.nytimes.com, while 24 percent went to blogs and candidate Web sites for information.
There are a few reasons why the blogging phenomenon has taken hold and is going strong. The accessibility of getting news from a blog is a point-click away. The effort of buying and reading a newspaper has become a chore in a fast-paced life. Today, it's more likely that a person will wait to read news - whether it's from a credible online news source or a person's own news account via blog style - until they are in close encounters with a computer. Where has the traditional daily paper, doughnut and coffee combo gone?
People are more interested in reading what their Internet colleagues are reporting or what their opinions of a current issue are instead of reading the "biased" views of print media. It is only human nature to wonder what people are thinking, and this can be done instantly by reading someone's thoughts published online.
Plus, the element of feedback is apparent and more personal in this mode of communication. The learning experience from a blog can go two ways, and feedback is usually considered and returned by a blogger. Why would people write letters to a newspaper and not receive responses when they can write to a blogger who is more likely to repond?
I relate this form of "journalism" to the out-of-control reality TV occurrence. Blogs are nothing more than a real-life account on what is going on in the world. This "infotainment" element captivates many who are bored with a daily newspaper. Just as sitcoms today have ordinary plots, newspapers still have a conventional element people are sick of. Today, newspapers have been forced to move with the modern times, leaving behind the traditional elements of what news should be, and accommodating to what people want to read and how they want to be informed.
While there are some blog writers who are credible journalists, the majority of bloggers are ignorant of, or completely reject the ethics of journalism. Because of this, people are influenced by what they read and take as truth, not considering there is chance that what was reported was sensational or false.
Bloggers are nothing more than Gonzo-journalist wannabes (either with or without the drug haze). Instead of writing their experiences in a literary journalist style and submitting it for possible print publication, bloggers hide behind their computer screens knowing every word they type will be published in an open forum.
Perhaps there is some type of insight I am missing in the world of blogs. But more likely than not, there is no insight to miss. Just as I am sick to death of mindless reality TV, it seems blogs will never truly grasp my interest.
-Consuela Headrick is a journalism junior and opinion editor for The Daily Aztec.
-This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Daily Aztec. Send e-mail to letters@thedailyaztec.com. Anonymous letters will not be printed - include your full name, major and year in school.
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