"Is journalism one hundred unpaid bloggers all talking and yattering at once, or a city filled with amateur citizen journalists uncoordinated in all their efforts? Those bloggers and citizen reporters are as close to real reporters as karaoke is to Frank Sinatra live and in person."I think the most symbolically illustrative thing that I can point out about that quote is that Frank Sinatra has been dead for 12 years now. Younger readers may not even be sure who he was.
I have no doubt that the Catholic Church reacted in much the same way when the printing press was invented. The reality, as I see it, is that there is room for both bloggers and professional journalists. Journalists are paid to report the news, bloggers cover things that traditional journalism misses or gets wrong as well as reacting to the news and adding their own insights.
To say that this is the equivalent of "karaoke" - simply singing along to the words originally written by journalists is not only insulting, it's wrong. It shows a complete and total ignorance of what bloggers do. It makes me wonder if Cooke has ever read a blog - it makes me wonder, in fact, if Cooke has a computer or knows how to use it.
To refer to the contents of blogs as "yattering" shows a disrespect for the opinions and experiences of the very people that Cooke is relying on to buy his newspaper.
It is clear that Cooke is not the right person to head a newspaper in Toronto. With this one quote he has declared that he is behind the times, has no respect for the public, doesn't understand the current media landscape and that he has absolutely no idea how to take the Star forward and make it a part of the city and a part of the public discussion.
If you're currently working for the Star, or if you have investments in Torstar - be very worried.
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3 comments:
He's clearly trying to show the importance of "real" journalism, while not noting how many real, yet un or underpaid journalists are the ones writing blogs because they have to write which is why they went to school for journalism in the first place even though it's dying as paid work. Same with why musicians play music. A rare percentage make a living, the rest of us do it because we love to.
True, it still primarily serves though to show that he is detached from reality.
Great article Justin! I'm going to send it to friends at allvoices.
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