Comments on: Guardian column: Lessons of West Virginia http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/16/guardian-column-lessons-of-west-virginia/ by Jeff Jarvis Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:40:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Valerie Stivers-Isakova http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/16/guardian-column-lessons-of-west-virginia/#comment-25948 Valerie Stivers-Isakova Thu, 19 Jan 2006 15:48:21 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1035#comment-25948 Some of this stuff about news being a collaborative process seems like empty repackaging of what news, and reporting has always been when it's doing its job right. The reporter should have called some cookie experts anyway, in moves known as "sourcing," "reporting" and "fact-checking." I don't see why he or she needs a blog to ask the advice of blog buddies on the topic. If blogs facilitate research, that's nice, but just doing the research is the ultimate point here, on the Internet or no. I'd also disagree with the notion that "It's time for reporters to start telling the audience what they don't know." Your job, as a reporter is to find stuff out. If you don't know what's going on, you aren't doing your job. Asking those who do know, firsthand, what's happening can be called 'sharing with the community' if you like, but it used to be called reporting, and I'm not sure how it's changed. There are so many exciting ways that the blogosphere is changing news, but these may not be they. Some of this stuff about news being a collaborative process seems like empty repackaging of what news, and reporting has always been when it’s doing its job right. The reporter should have called some cookie experts anyway, in moves known as “sourcing,” “reporting” and “fact-checking.” I don’t see why he or she needs a blog to ask the advice of blog buddies on the topic. If blogs facilitate research, that’s nice, but just doing the research is the ultimate point here, on the Internet or no. I’d also disagree with the notion that “It’s time for reporters to start telling the audience what they don’t know.” Your job, as a reporter is to find stuff out. If you don’t know what’s going on, you aren’t doing your job. Asking those who do know, firsthand, what’s happening can be called ’sharing with the community’ if you like, but it used to be called reporting, and I’m not sure how it’s changed. There are so many exciting ways that the blogosphere is changing news, but these may not be they.

]]> By: FJ http://www.buzzmachine.com/2006/01/16/guardian-column-lessons-of-west-virginia/#comment-25714 FJ Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:46:39 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=1035#comment-25714 Mr Jarvis, what you seem to be saying is that newsmaking is some sort of democratic process where everyone chips in and we then decide whether a piece is worth running. That simply is not the case. <i>Opinions</i> are cheap, nay free, and the more the merrier. But there is no substitute for a well-researched, well-written news story and the NSA item was one of those, whatever you may think. Mr Jarvis, what you seem to be saying is that newsmaking is some sort of democratic process where everyone chips in and we then decide whether a piece is worth running. That simply is not the case.

Opinions are cheap, nay free, and the more the merrier. But there is no substitute for a well-researched, well-written news story and the NSA item was one of those, whatever you may think.

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