Blog Debate: Counter Point
6 comments so far
May 22, 2008 by
Yesterday, my BRN colleague Steve weighed in on what he thought were the important points in the current debate raging over the role of blogs in sports media. He and I agree that blogs are an important and emerging part of the way sports are covered (hello...we’re bloggers). But, while his take on the issue centered on the role of media in democracy and the important differences between the roles played by newspapers and bloggers, my contention is born from a belief in free markets and the opinion that bloggers deserve the same access granted to newspapers and television outlets.
The Market Determines Merit
The thing I took away from the Costas Now show the most is that ultimately the public decides what is relevant and what is not. They vote with attention. As Deadspin’s Will Leitch pointed out, if a blog isn’t any good, it won’t be around very long. But, if you put in the work and develop something of value, you will build an audience. That’s the same recipe for any good media outlet – print, television, online or otherwise. As a good friend of mine likes to say sometimes…don’t get bitter, get better.
There have been plenty of members of the media’s “old guard� that seem to be doing just fine in the new media age. The venerable Associated Press is still the world’s leading and most trusted authority on breaking news, due in no small part to their great positioning and partnering with Google News, the Internet’s 800 pound gorilla of a paper boy. The AP still writes it, and Google distributes it. Everybody gets paid.
Elsewhere, you see newspapers putting up blogs as fast as they can. From the Washington Post to the Lincoln Journal Star, the line between bloggers and journalists gets blurrier by the minute. And, as the playing field levels, it will be up to the consumer to decide what topics and descriptions merit reading or not. Personally, I think the nation's craving for sports borders on insatiable, so there is always room for more. Husker fans will always want to read about and discuss the Huskers.
Time for Equal Access
While Buzz Bissinger dropping F bombs and Leitch stuttering replies makes for good TV drama, I was more keenly tuned to a different part of the segment not shown in that clip, one where Washington Post columnist Mike Wilbon bemoans the lack of standards for bloggers to follow (as he sits in his cartoonish PTI studio in his role as a “paid shouter� for ESPN). That brings me to my second point. The key difference between the Lincoln Journal Star’s blog and sites like Big Red Network is one thing – access. When I want to write about recruiting, I rely on my wits and research. Reporters at the Lincoln Journal Star can surf this site, see a debate break out, and start calling coaches for a story on that subject. So what exactly qualifies newspaper journalists for that kind of access any more than Steve or I?
While my colleague Steve may not want credentials and access, I most certainly do. But, when we request press credentials from the University of Nebraska, we are given a form letter response saying that only print, television and radio media are given credentials. Universities need to revisit the standards for press access. Frankly, I think our site absolutely qualifies.
We have developed an audience big enough to have merit. We write reasoned and researched material. For the most part, our content is just about as family friendly as anything you’ll find in newspapers and magazines these days. I don’t understand why we have to have a “dead tree edition� to qualify to ask a few questions of players and coaches. If you must know, Steve, Jason, Renny and I are every bit as qualified as the fine folks at the newspapers and television stations. I’ll spare you our resumes. But, trust me when I say the prospect of covering Big 12 media day is hardly daunting.
The worst part is the double standard that people like Michael Wilbon don't even realize they are spouting. Some contend bloggers aren’t held to the right standards. Well, why should they be? They aren’t given any benefit to merit that sort of obligation. If you want us held to the standard of your profession, then invite us to be a part of it. Let us in the tent. When traditional media acknowledge blogs as some kind of media peer, they then have every right to scrutinize, praise or dismiss our work. But, until the blogs that qualify are given the same access afforded to newspapers, what choice do we have but to stand at the gate, represent the fan, and report about or discuss anything that comes our way? We have to become the party crashers you already perceive us to be.
The futurist in me sees the trends already playing out. As bloggers become more qualified and experienced, and newspapers continue to move toward new media solutions like blogging and podcasts, the lines differentiating the two will become even more blurred. Five years from now, I hope I can look back at this post and laugh about the debate being silly. But it would be better if Universities and sports franchises just embrace the new media reality now and try to at least stay somewhat ahead of the curve.
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doombob May 22 08
gopowercat dot com has Powercat Illustrated (or the other way around according to some folk) so they get press passes. Just start printing a quarterly guide with all your best stories and you too could skirt around the press pass issue. It's funny because print people are going to blogs, but why can't blogs start printing? You may even increase readership and drive more traffic to your site! I know it's not the best solution, but it's the way the world works. And while you're printing those things out, can I get in on that press pass action? I'll write print articles for a one!
Jason May 22 08
Since you brought it up... We've actually been kicking around the idea of offering a print version of BRN. Obviously, it would contain original content and not just a rehash of what we publish online.
It's a pretty big undertaking though in terms of time and money. The biggest question we have is if anyone would buy it.
If anyone has feedback for us on if they would or would not pay for a print version of BRN sent to their door a few times a year, we'd love to hear it.
bnahusker May 22 08
As a creature of habit, and one who gets most of his internet time at work, I would not be interested in a print version. If it will help you get credentials, I'll sign up for three years.
GBR!
Bob
cvldfg May 24 08
I look at this way. Print media and blogs can be compared to boxing and MMA.
With boxing, you had a sport that was the only one like it. The punches were real, (most of the time), but, as the facade started to come down with time, after a while you couldn't tell if what you were seeing was real or not. Especially when Don King and others started to control the outcome.
Then you have this new form of fighting and where almost anything goes. You don't have a few promoters calling the shots. It's the guys in the ring that determine what the people want and they are not holding back. Sometimes you'll get a roundhouse kick to the head and everybody ooh's and ahh's and then sometimes you get a straight punch and it is real. And, without the promoters deciding as to who the winner is, you have to believe it is more real.
You also have to take into account that newspapers offer a lot more in the way of the amount of topics they have to cover. And an editor has to decide which stories make the cut in every topic, whereas a blogger, (most of them), only have one area that they cover. And you also have to take into account that newspapers have shareholders they have to answer to. Whereas, a blogger only has to answer to themselves.
I still read both. I try to be as informed as possible. While I know that newspapers, almost always, have a liberal shade to them, I pick and choose what I read. More often then not, I usually stick to the stories where bias's don't come into play.
Randy May 25 08
Most newspaper stories don't get into a lot of depth and analysis. I read the blogs to get deeper. Husker fanatics crave more and more depth and insight into the nuts and bolts of every aspect. Newspapers don't get into the science of the game and don't break it down to its basic parts. They're concise and appeal to the masses whereas a blog appeals to the super passionate, analytical minds(most times).
University of Nebraska Athletic Department, tear down this wall.
Perhaps a blog sponsored e-mail campaign would get support from those that find value and credibility in the most respected of blogs. That could be one way the athletic department could legitimize specific blog sites for access. Get it rolling and thousands of us will reply. Someone has to be first, and the University of Nebraska athletic department could get ahead of the curve on this one. Nebraska should be #1 in this area also. A close relationship with the most highly regarded blog sites would only further the interest and potential earnings of their department.
Papa83 Jan 20 09
The internet has made bloggers think that the freedom of of speech comes easy, but professional journalists know better. More than any other element of society, they are on the front lines' struggle for civil rights. If bloggers want the freedom of the press, they need to behave like the rest of us and fight for it.