Finally a reason to watch local news
At least if you’re in Tyler Texas
In case you’re interested that is former bikini model Lauren Jones
who I think makes a fine addition to the Channel 19 News Team.
I must say this certainly proves Michael Skube’s point about the difference between blogs and professional journalism:
“What democracy requires,” Lasch wrote in “The Lost Art of Argument,” “is vigorous public debate, not information. Of course, it needs information too, but the kind of information it needs can only be generated by debate. We do not know what we need until we ask the right questions, and we can identify the right questions only by subjecting our own ideas about the world to the test of public controversy.”
There was something appealing about this argument — one that no blogger would reject — when Lasch advanced it almost two decades ago. But now we have the opportunity to witness it in practice, thanks to the blogosphere, and the results are less than satisfying. One gets the uneasy sense that the blogosphere is a potpourri of opinion and little more. The opinions are occasionally informed, often tiresomely cranky and never in doubt. Skepticism, restraint, a willingness to suspect judgment and to put oneself in the background — these would not seem to be a blogger’s trademarks.
But they are, more often than not, trademarks of the kind of journalism that makes a difference. And if there is anything bloggers want more than an audience, it’s knowing they are making a difference in politics. They are, to give them their due, changing what is euphemistically called the national “conversation.” But what is the nature of that change? Does it deepen our understanding? Does it broaden our perspective?
It’s hard to answer yes to such questions, if only because they presuppose a curiosity and inquiry for which raw opinion is ill-suited.
Now let us celebrate this elevation in the national discourse and remember “Stay Classy”
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August 22nd, 2007 at 9:11 pm
The concept of “unbiased,” “fair and balanced” journalism is pretty recent. Well into the 20th century, when newspapers had the the market to themselves and there were tons of them, they were *expected* to have a point of view, and it wasn’t only on the unsigned editorial page, it defined the content of the paper as a whole.
Regardless, blogs developed from personal journals. Why does anyone expect a blog to be anything other than biased toward the writer’s interests and agenda?
At least they’re often up front about it, as opposed to many news outlets whose biases are more subtly and artfully conveyed.
Unless you’re a local news anchor and you knock out a blurb from a press release and publish it as “Let’s Blog!” Gag me.