What is a blog?

One of the largest controversies in contemporary media studies, and in the journalism industry, pertains to whether or not blogging can be considered a valid form of journalism. Wikipedia defines blogging as a constantly updated flow of information in reverse chronological order, often pertaining to current news and areas of specific interest. Blogs attempt to connect communities of interest in an unmediated discussion, which allows for the emergence of alternative viewpoints and in-depth analysis of news. The diversity of blogging sites means that a blog can be as in-depth as the most specific niche-market magazine, but infinitely more interactive and current. Although traditional media such as print and broadcast also aim to play the role of “networker” and “public informer”, power dynamics and entrenched practices within newsrooms mean that information often favours the elite. Power monolpolies which influence conventional journalism include economic concerns (the need for the preferences of advertisers to be met, often at the cost of the quality of journalism produced), government pressures and newsroom hierarchies (the views of newbie journalists may be overthrown by those of their more established colleagues). In sensitive cases censorship and self-regulation is often enforced in order to protect the image of a media organization, and to avoid costly defamation suits. However, the emergence of blogging has allowed journalism to free itself, to some extent, from these power monopolies and practices of self-regulation. Blogging allows the individual the ability to express opinions which are divergent from those of the mainstream, without the need for self-censorship due to obligations to a particular media organization. Critics have said that due to the lack of emphasis on objectivity (as seen in conventional media), journalism in blogs has the tendency to be biased. The opinions of the author of a blog do not necessarily represent the opinions of society on whole, or even of the specific community of interest from which the blog arises. However, the conventional media cannot be said to be completely unbiased either, as the viewpoints expressed are usually of the academic or financial elite. Blogging can be seen as a form of participatory journalism, in that information is collected and disseminated by the very people who consume it. The interactivity of blogs allows for a greater realisation the concept of citizen’s participatory journalism, as a variety of people can edit the content.