'What do you think...?'

"What do you think about open-source journalism or blogging?"

I directed this question about a half hour ago in my reporting class to a visiting speaker addressing the class. I figured it might be well placed since he is a technology journalist with loads of experience. He gladly took the time to address question and for the record, I don't think I disappointed (but neither was I impressed) by his answer. He answered as someone who was mostly familiar with the blogs from mainstream news outlets. He seemed genuine about that much.

He detailed the blogs with which he was familiar, for example, the Columbia Journalism Review blog, which covered last year’s elections, and The Note, the ABC blog.

I later followed up with a related question: Do you see a significant conflict between the up and coming blogosphere and the world of journalism? No, he said, because blogging is already a part of journalism.

I don't know.

He did admit to being somewhat surprised that blogging has run the course it has. He was as skeptic to start because, as he so vividly put it, there was a time when the majority of bloggers were "13-year-old girls in Europe."

My conclusion: because this journalist is so accustomed to the affects of technology on the world of communication and journalism, he will not be as resistant to the inevitable changes. I do believe, though, that he is an exception to the general reaction to what is happening in blogosphere. Even now, things are happening which would surprise many journalists. While much has already taken place which has left some former CBS producers out of a job, they better understand that it is not going to stop there.

Elections will be probed; stories will be discredited; people will be exposed. I don't think that it will be all rosy. I'm sure many mistakes will be made along the way; you will see libel suits and desperate struggles for the mind and heart of America.

More important than all this, though, is the restoration of free speech--without the traditional gatekeepers in the media. This is the heart of the blogging revolution, and this is what will continue to drive all such innovations after it.

UPDATE:

Read this fascinating article by Steve Outing, from the Poynter Institute. I think he has nailed something here:

With so many new people involved in blogging, most of them having no training in journalism practices, ethics, and media law, personal legal liability is a big deal. Bloggers publishing without the protection of an employer to pay for their libel defense are on their own should they make a mistake. In the years ahead, I expect to see some solo bloggers get in trouble -- and some get driven to personal ruin when they lose libel lawsuits. It's a wonder it hasn't happened yet.

These are the kind of studies that many bloggers need to be watching. Like I said, earlier before finding this info, I do think there will be problems and you will see the fiery crash of many rash bloggers.

Mr. Outing wrote his analysis as a pair of articles, discussing what bloggers and journalists can learn from each other. These articles are compelling for me because I am both a blogger and a student of journalism. Here's the link from his other piece. He makes some other good points:

The popularity of bloggers is leading to a new way of thinking about news. Jarvis said in an e-mail interview that the most profound thing he learned when he started blogging is this: News is a conversation, not just a lecture. The story doesn't end when it's published, but rather just gets started as the public begins to do its part -- discussing the story, adding to it, and correcting it.

i.e. we are more in touch with the readers. Corrections get made faster and comments are taken seriously.