The Bloggers Are Impacting Political Arenas
August 28, 2008
They’re everywhere. Bloggers that is. They’ve been at the U.S. National Democratic Convention all week, and judging by the buzz on political websites and blogs, they’re not going anywhere too soon. This short video excerpts a portion of the bloggers that were on hand at the Democratic National Convention and gives us a glimpse into the reasons why they feel like they’re making a difference by blogging on the political issues this week.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1578089393/bctid1753232335
As you watch the clip, you will hear the bloggers comment time after time that they don’t want to be “spectators” or just “sit by.” They don’t want to be told what is going on…they want to see for themselves. At a time in United States history where history is being made on an almost celebrity-like level, it’s no wonder why bloggers want to share in all of the fun. But, how will the bloggers blogging affect the political climate on the Internet or even in local communities? Will people pay attention to them long enough to really be able to form an educated opinion about the issues? Will it really matter?
Blogging has been around now for a while, and has been relegated to people who simply want to journal their lives or their personal developments. But in social marketing circles, blogging has taken on a life of its own and now has people of all backgrounds, skill levels, social status, religious slants and political persuasions blogging on the ‘net about whatever strikes their fancy. The only difference being that when certain bloggers blog, people are going to listen, and take note.
This Washington Post article talked about how John Edwards was offended by a couple of bloggers blog entries, but decided to keep them on anyway, despite his reservations. Is it perhaps the powerful bloggers voice that changed his mind? Or maybe the repurcussions that would ensue had he dismissed the blogger’s services? Oh how powerful IS the blogging voice!
When situations like what occured with John Edwards on last year begin to happen frequently in political arenas, people become understandably nervous about what it is that bloggers might in fact put on their blogs. Political climates are especially prey for fodder and “misunderstood” information. Are bloggers loose canons? Can they simply say anything that they want to say?
This week at the U.S. Democratic National Convention, there are numerous bloggers who are blogging about what they see, hear, are gossiped to and what they speculate on. It is safe to assume that a lot of their material won’t be accurate. It is also safe to assume that out of over 100 bloggers that were allowed privilege to get into the convention to sit as blogger-journalists, that each of their blog’s will form varying opinions and unmatching stories. It doesn’t mean that the bloggers are reporting innaccurate information; it just means it’s their opinion.
How then, if the blogger’s opinions are going to be at the helm of their blog posts, can we safely say that the blogs are “good journalism” or even worthy material? Is political blogging, simply by virtue of it being political, any less subject to scrutiny or analyzation? Can political bloggers simply say anything that they want to say? Where do we draw the line? Or, should we?
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Written by bridgetw · Filed Under Best Practices, Media
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