Okay, so NYT bought About.com – which is basically just a form of citizen journalism. Okay, so IAC bought AskJeeves, and in the process got the much beloved Bloglines.
Links: NYT bought About.com and IAC bought AskJeeves and Bloglines.
Okay, so Topix.net is partially owned by Gannett, Knight Ridder and Tribune. So, okay, now News Corp buys Intermix, which is mainly MySpace.com.
Is this the future of journalism and blogging? The large entities buying blogging and ‘citizen journalism’ platforms, as well as online news platforms, to expand the advertising options across the board. And, with Google News using blogs – both its own Blogger and others – as news sources, and the launch of all the blog news aggregators – Pubsub, Technorati, et al – well, it’s become a big mess of a space.
Yes, I said mess of a space.
First, with the mainstream media buying the blogging platforms, does this open up the publishers of the platforms to libel laws? I did a post on libel, but with the media owning the platforms, it will be an interesting twist.
Second, with all the different ‘news’ sources now, the public no longer has to hear all sides of the story, but can only hear those opinions that fit their tastes. How cute, it’s the Fox affect. While I did bring this up in my interview with Dan Gillmor, he noted that the middle has always been quiet, and if there is a need for middle news, it will be filled. I’m still not so sure.
Third, what does this do for journalism? Despite claims to the contrary, bloggers are not journalists. Not all bloggers follow an internal code of ethics, but rather just blog gossip that might or might not be true. I have been told that it’s a blog – they don’t need to be fact checked. That is a travesty. There’s no codified code of ethics to be upheld, just the wild west of the blogosphere.
Fourth, what does this do for public relations? Right now, I am working with a few blogs and podcasts on review units. Now, call me part of the so-called old PR, but I am not going to send out a $1500 product without a signed loan agreement. And, with the integration of blogs into more news outfits, is this going to become more of an issue.
So, in the end, News Corp just bought a really good social blogging platform, full of tweens. It competes with Six Apart – which includes the much-loved tween LiveJournal and – which makes me wonder who is going to end up buying them to swallow into a media platform. The convergence of blogging into journalism is the new journalism, but is the new journalism really that good for the public?
Jeremy Pepper is the CEO and founder of POP! Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Arizona, USA.
He authors the popular Musings from POP! Public Relations blog which offers Jeremy’s opinions and views – on public relations, publicity and other things.
