Ok, that was just my playful example of my blog not really being a professional news outlet. But really, I don’t think I’ve ever pretended to be one. This blog is just a spot for me to voice my two cents on things. The tagline at the top does say “Thoughts, Ideas, and Opinions about Columbus” not “Facts, facts, and more facts about Columbus”.
Anyway, comedy aside, there’s an interesting post on Ben Marrison’s blog about his thoughts on a recent Washington Post story still caught up in the role definition of bloggers. From his post:
I’ve read some blogs that attempt to be objective. Most, however, are one-sided rants that attempt to connect dots that don’t exist.
So, which one is mine? 
Ugh, I’m so tired of people who rant on this stuff. Blogs are what they are and some of them are more jouranlistic than others. Sometimes I work with companies who want to understand blogging and the first thing I tell them is you can’t lump ‘em all under a big general category called BLOG and then pretend you know what they all are.
Oh and I’m a one-sided rant connecting imaginary dots. Totally. Yeah, just a big old bunch of delusions nicely filed into wordpress categories. Ha!
If a blogger really wanted to be an objective journalist, they would be one. Blogs are opionated by nature. Humans have a need to express themselves. Some people paint, some people play soccer, and some of us like to write. The beauty of a blog is that it does not follow the strict norms of traditional print media. Blogs allow people to write in a personal style on whatever topic their heart desires.
The issue is more about the readers than the bloggers. If the reader is unable to discern opinion from fact, it is not the fault of the writer. Unfortunately, some people are unable to form their own opinions and let others do it for them.
Many blogs become popular as a result of credibility. A writer may develop a strong following of subscribers due to the content of their blog. As a reader, I’m aware that the Restaurant Widow is not a world famous chef and nor does she claim to be. She writes interesting articles on food and, because of her credibility, I trust her restaurant reviews.
Naturally, being a baby blogger, my opinion on this matter is skewed. My job is to write objectively and blogging is an outlet for my inner subjective writer. It allows me to write, to express, and to educate - all very important aspects of my well-being.
If not for your post, I wouldn’t have any idea what Ben Marrison had to say.
What does that say?
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