Understanding Bloggers as Journalists Putting the Current Debate in Proper Context Affirmative Position Topic: Journalism and Blogging Naci Sigler

Definitions Journalists: People who collect, prepare, and distribute information about current events, trends, issues and people. Blogger : People who write and maintain a blog, dated text entries in reverse chronological order (most recent first) about events, trends, issues and people of concern to them.

Types of Blogs

Journalists vs. Bloggers Journalism Fields Advocacy journalism Alternative journalism Arts journalism Business journalism Citizen journalism Fashion journalism Investigative journalism Literary journalism Photojournalism Science journalism Sports journalism Video game journalism Types of Blogs General Technology Politics Personal Gossip News Other Journalists and Bloggers Cover the Same Topics!

Journalists v. Bloggers Journalists’ Media Newspapers & Magazines News Agencies Broadcast Journalism Online & Blogging Alternative Media Bloggers’ Media Newspapers & Magazines News Agencies Broadcast Journalism Online & Blogging Alternative Media Journalists and Bloggers Publish in the Same Media and Use the Same Technology!

Real Issues Copyright Infringement Misinformation Lack of Oversight (editors, established protocol, fact checkers, etc) Elitism (established agencies vs. citizen blog)

Misinformation? A Gallup Poll shows that only 5% of the public rate journalists “very high” in honest Could bloggers do worse? Bloggers essentially produce the same information that journalists do, simply through a different medium.

The benefits of bloggers… Free of financial backers which effects what many journalists report

Real Issue Problems of Dealing with Technological and Intellectual Property Issues compounded in the Digital Environment.

Find Solutions for Real Issues Copyright Infringement  Education (e.g. citing sources, Fair Use Doctrine), Lawsuits Misinformation/ Lack of Oversight  Community Talkback, Fact Checkers Elitism (established agencies vs. citizen blog)  Professionals as bloggers (e.g. new anchors, journalists), Blogging Goes Mainstream (e.g. politicians, scholars)

Fair Use Doctrine For what purpose was the work used? (commercial vs. nonprofit educational purposes) What is the nature of the copyrighted work? (facts and ideas are separate from copyright) How much of the work was used? How substantial was the defendant’s use? What’s the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work?

Reasons to Extend Protections to Bloggers: Facilitate their function and role in society –Independent Checkers –Counter Media Consolidation, –Public Commentary = Freedom of Speech and Democratic Citizen Participation Establish legal precedent critical for approaching and defining knowledge especially acceptable use in the digital environment.

Bloggers are journalists and should have all of the attendant rights, privileges, and protections. Conclusion