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Midday Open Thread: Bloggers = Journalists? |
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Though the equation above draws scorn from most journalists, and a large segment of the U.S. population sneers at the title of “blogger,” the profession (occupation? (hobby?) (pass time?)) occasionally gets some credit. Most often this share of praise falls upon foreign shoulders, where blogging is a much riskier endeavor. Por ejemplo,Yoani Sanchez, a Cuban blogger, was given a prestigious Spanish press award.
Indeed, both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have run prominently placed articles on Sanchez, who writes a blog Generacion Y, based in Havana.
As I said, this sort of recognition eludes bloggers in the US, largely because our media here is “free.” “What need is there for bloggers when we have a robust media acting as the government and corporate watchdog?” many reason. “They only rant and post stupid pictures of cats.”
Well, it’s hard to rebut some of that, but given that our mainstream media is so clearly beholden to corporations, and its level of reporting is so often abysmal, the US blogosphere should be getting a lot more credit.
So, for all you Tom Paine’s out there, this morning thread is for you.
