A blog is an informational or a site of discussion that is published and appears on the World Wide Web. A blog comprises posts, arranged in a chronological order. The word blog means to add or maintain content to a blog. An example of a blog is twitter.
On the argument, “blogging and commentary on new stories provides a useful, narrative source of essential information”, one can barely oppose (Vivian, 2012). Many blogs are useful sources of information. The majority of the blogs are interactive and give an allowance of visitors to post comments and also text each other via GUI widgets that are on the blogs (Rowse 2012). In this sense, blogging is seen as a form of a Social Networking Service. Bloggers not only produce content to post on certain blogs, they help build social relations with other bloggers and readers. Some blogs provide commentaries on particular subjects, while others act as personal online diaries (Stone 2002). Typically, a blog brings together images, texts and links to other blogs. The fact that bloggers are able to comment on interactive formats is important as it also adds up as a source of information.
On the second argument, “blogging is an annoying exercise and takes away from legitimate discourse regarding issues, and is typically riddled with bias”, there is a partial truth (Vivian, 2012). Many institutions see blogging as a mean of pushing information to the public directly. Other critics worry that bloggers neither respect the copyright, nor the role the mass media plays in presenting society with quality news. Blogging is not full of biases suggested by the second statement since one can decide what to post on a certain blog. Usually, a blog allows someone to vent their feelings by typing in the text where everyone can read what is going through one’s mind (Stone 2002).
Of these, two statements, the second fails in expressing the demerits of blogging completely. Blogging is not annoying; on the contrary, it may be a way many people use to unwind when they are under stress. It may only be annoying since it may take long to post and update an entry on the blog (Vivian, 2012). The first statement is true since blogging is essential, especially when it comes to providing information. Employers can update their employees and even students can get help with their studies.
Print Media:
A number of issues like internal and external pressures affect the decisions a journalist makes on the stories to cover ways of interpreting certain issues and the emphasis to be placed on them (Cho 2012). It is these pressures that sometimes lead to unethical reporting, or bias. Journalists have to achieve relevance in the information they provide, and therefore, are forced to go for ways that apply news values that are attractive and can maintain an audience. Factors such as negativity, where people find bad information being more newsworthy than good information. Moreover, the fact that unexpected news has more impact than an event out of the ordinary makes news-gathering impose certain effects on the audience. The nature of certain pieces of news is an event that is beyond the control of a journalist. Journalists and editors, therefore are faced with the challenge of being the best in their code of ethics (Vivian, 2012). Researchers have suggested that the audience may interpret news as a risk signal. The news value of a story is determined by the amount of change it can cause and the relevance of the change for an individual or group. Certain factors as these, much as journalists would want to manage them affect news and the receptiveness of the news to an audience (Rowse 2012).
Journalists are captives of the personal values and biases they bring to work. The value of a journalist is proven by their personal attributes and attitudes. Journalists have a responsibility to inform the crowd, and put to passion what they do. Journalism has many hurdles and is being said to come to a decline (Cho 2012). Journalists are naturally expected to be role models and to have good values. However, they are enslaved by these values at their work places. For example, a journalist may have to cover an investigative story that tackles a certain vice in society. It means that that journalist may have to use a fake identity to get through with the investigation and adapt into the lifestyle of that vice being investigated (Cho 2012). One journalist may find it easier to let go of his values and consider covering the story with more ease (Rowse 2012). Another may find it hard to let go of his values and let the story go. It may be inconveniencing since it may mean giving up one’s career as a journalist. On the other hand, if the career is kept, a journalist will feel that his values have been demeaned. Such a factor would qualify journalism to be a task since the values may enslave a journalist making them ineffective at their workplace (Vivian, 2012). There are concerns, however, that there is a need to work in journalism, research, as well as to apply stronger sociological reviews on the work journalists do (Rowse 2012).
References:
Cho, J. Blog, Inc. (2012) Blogging for Passion, Profit and to Create Community. San
Francisco.
Rowse, D. (2012) Pro Blogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income. John
Wiley and Sons, New Jersey.
Stone, B. (2002) Blogging: Genius Strategies for Instant Web Content. New Riders
Publishing, Indianapolis.
Vivian, J. (2012) The Media of Mass Communication. Allyn & Bacon, Incorporated, Boston,
