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Tuesday,May28,2002 Blogosphere:theemergingMediaEcosystem
HowWeblogsandJournalistsworktogethertoReport,FilterandBreaktheNews
byJohnHiler

TryingtounderstandthecomplexrelationshipbetweenbloggersandjournalistshasbecomemyownpersonalWaterloo. I'vetakenafewstabsatitalready,andlearnedalotalongtheway.LessonOne:Blogscandoatremendousjobbreakingnews,andjournalistsare wisetostarttheirowntotapthatpower.LessonTwo:Somerarebloggersbecomeamateurjournalists,astatuswhichbringswithititsownunique ethicalchallenges.LessonThree:MostbloggersaremorelikeColumniststhancapitalJJournalists. StillnomatterwhatIdid,theweblog/journalismrelationshipseemedtodefyreduction.Nometaphorseemedcomplexenoughtocapturethe subtletiesoftheirinteractions.IgreatlyenjoyedonesetofmetaphorsfromfellowmetabloggerDoctorWeevil:

blogger:journalist::tick:sheep bloggers:journalists::dungbeetles:elephants

Butsurelybloggersaremorethanjustticksanddungbeetlesfeedingoffoftheirjournalisthosts!True,themajorityoflinksinweblogsaretoarticles writtenbyjournalists...butI'veseentoomanyarticlesbyjournalistspulledstraightfromweblogs,Blogdex,andMetafiltertobuyfullyintothe Bloggers/Parasitemetaphor. SEARCHINGFORAMETAPHOR WereBloggersparasitesfeastingofftheirJournalisthosts?OrwereBloggerscreatinganewformofgrassrootsjournalism,onethatthreatenedthe extinctionofJournalismasweknowit? Thenonedayithitme:parasites&hosts,grassroots&extinction...theywereallbiologicalmetaphors. Allofasudden,itallmadesense!Thetruthis,BloggersandJournalistsarebothparasiticorganisms.Inbiology,wehaveatermforrelationship thatseemsmutuallyparasitic:symbiosis,whenbothorganismsbenefitfromworkingtogether.Inmanyways,bloggersandjournalistsareina mutuallysymbioticrelationship,workingtogethertoreport,filterandbreakthenews. INTRODUCINGTHEBLOGOSPHERE BloggersandJournalistsformabloggingbiospherethathasbecomeanecosysteminitsownright,anecosystemthatonesavvybloggerhasdubbed theBlogosphere.Thewordwasmeantasacleverpuncombining"Blog"with"logos",aGreekwordmeaninglogicandreason.Andwhilebloggersdo oftenuselogicindissectingarguments,IlovethewordBlogospherebecauseithappenstocaptureanothertruth:theBlogosphereisabiosphereofits own,aMediaEcosystemthatlivesandbreathesjustlikeanyotherbiologicalsystem. Likeanyecosystem,theBlogospheredemonstratesalltheclassicecologicalpatterns:predatorsandprey,evolutionandemergence,naturalselection andadaptation.I'veoftenthoughtthatanthropologistswerebestequippedtodeconstructtheemergingbloggingsubculture,butnowI'mconvincedI gotitwrong:thegreatermysteriesoftheBlogospherewillbeunlockedinsteadbyevolutionarybiologists. BIRTHOFTHEBLOGOSPHERE SomethingabouttheBlogospheregivesitthefeelofalivingbreathingecosystem. Likeanyecosystem,theBlogospherehasalifeofitsown,onethat'smorethanthesumofitsweblogs.Youcan'tunderstandajunglebystudyinga singlejaguar,andinthesamewayyoucan'tunderstandtheBlogospherebystudyingasingleweblog.SurfingtheBlogosphereyoucansee evolutionaryforcesplayoutinrealtime,asweblogsviefornichestatus,establishcommunitiesoflikemindedsites,andjostleforlinkstotheirsite. ButinordertounderstandthenewMediaEcosystem,firstwehavetomakesenseoftheOldMediaEcosystem.Let'sstartbyfollowingatypicalnews storyacrossitsnaturallifecycle. THELIFECYCLEOFANEWSSTORY Iwitnessedfirsthandthelifecycleofanewsstoryafewmonthsago,whentheGoogle/ScientologystorybrokethispastMarch.TheChurchof ScientologyfiledaDMCA(DigitalMillenniumCopyrightAct)complaintagainstGoogle,forcingthesearchenginetopullthecontentofawebsite criticizingtheChurch.Therewasaninstantuproarontheweb,ascriticschargedGooglewithcensorship(asituationthatGooglehandledbrilliantly afewweekslater). IfoundoutabouttheDMCAcomplaintlateonenight,aroundtwointhemorning.Ipuzzledoverwhetherornottowriteaboutthestory.Iusually don'tcoverbreakingnewsIwriteFeaturesaboutthingsIfindinteresting(usuallyinvolvingweblogs,naturally).Unlikebreakingnews,myFeatures don'thavetobetimely.Anarticlelikethisonedoesn'thavetobepublishedrightaway,afactwhichIoftenusetoprocrastinatepublishinguntil "nextweek".

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Butthisstorywasbreakingnews,soIcouldn'tjustsleeponit.IdecidedtostayupallnighttowriteanarticleabouttheGooglestory,doingthesort ofanalysisthatIenjoydoingformyFeaturearticles.ImadesuretoincludeadetailedhistoryoftheScientologist'saggressiveuseof copyright/trademarklawwhensuingcritics.Ialsotalkedwithhalfadozensources,rangingfromlegalexpertstoformerScientologists.WhenI finallypublishedthefourthousandwordarticle,itwassometimearoundthreeorfourintheafternoon. Meanwhile,DeclanMcCullaghoveratWiredNewsscoopedeveryonewiththestory,hammeringoutagreat544wordstoryby11:55amthat morning. BREAKINGNEWSVERSUSANALYSIS Declanknewsomethingthatarookiereporterlikemedidn'tget:there'sabigdifferencebetweenBreakingNewsandAnalysis.Mostnewsstories startoffasBreakingNews:astorythatnooneelseknowsabout.EversinceWoodwardandBernsteinbrokeWatergateintheearly70s,every reporterhasdreamedofbreakingaBigStory(therewerebigstoriesbeforeWoodwardandBernstein,buthowmanyofthemweremadeintoa movie?). AftertheBreakingNewscomesout,thenit'stimefortheAnalysis:Whydidthishappen?Howcouldithavehappened?Whatdoesitallmean? SometimesthelinebetweenBreakingNewsandAnalysiscangetalittleblurry.Onceastorybreaks,articlestendtocombineahealthymixofthe two:anarticlewillAnalyzethestory,alsomakingsuretoincludeasnippetortwoofBreakingNewswiththelatestdevelopmentsinthestory. Oncethedevelopmentsinthestorydryup,thestorystartsto"die".Atthispoint,thestoryhasaboutanotherweekortwooflifeonthe"Op/Ed" pages(theOpEdColumns,Editorials,andLetterstotheEditor).Then,nomorebeatingadeadhorsethenewsstoryistoooldevenfortheOp/Ed pages. BACKTOTHEFOODCHAIN OnceIhadahandleonthelifecycleofaNewsStory(BreakingNews>Analysis>OpEd),theMediaFoodChainstartedtomakemoresense.You can"followthenews"asitmakesitwaythroughtheMediaFoodChain. I'llfocusonprintjournalismbecausethat'swhatI'mmostfamiliarwith.PrintJournalistsbreaklotsofnewsstories.ThatjournalistmightbeaWall StreetJournalreporter,diggingintoEnron'sbalancesheetandferretingoutcorporatecorruptions.Oritmightbeoneofthe3700employeesofthe AssociatedPress,awireservicethatwritesover20millionwordsadayforanyofthe8500subscribingnewspapers,magazines,andradioshows. Ormaybethejournalistworksforthelocalpaper,reportingonhighschoolsports. Whoeverbreaksthestory,oncethenewsisouttheretheMediaFoodChainswingsintoaction.Ifthestoryisexciting,otherprintmediaoutletswill pickitupandrunwithit.Youcanalmostalwaysspotwhenthishappens,becausethestorywilloftencreditthesource("asfirstreportedbythe SacramentoBee"). TVreportersareusuallythecarnivoresinthismediaFoodChain,subsistingonahealthydietofnewspaperstories.SomeTVReportersdooriginal reporting(60MinutesandCNNcometomind),butI'mtoldthatmostlocalTVreportersstarteverydaybyreadingtheheadlinesinthepaperand seeingwhichstoriesarehotenoughtorunintheEveningNews.AprintjournalistIspokewithtoldmethatreporterswillsometimesinterviewheroff cameratogetthefactsofastory...andthen"report"thosefactsontheair. That'snotsosurprising.ThemediaecosystemcanonlysupportsomanynewspapersandTVstations,andjudgingfromthesalariesofmyjournalist friendsit'snotthemostlucrativeprofession.Asaresult,therearealimitednumberofparticipantsintheTraditionalMediaFoodChain,withonlyso manypeopleavailabletodotheoriginalreportingandfactcheckingthewholesystemsneedstowork. Becauseoftheselimitedresources,manyhavechargedTraditionalMediawithaconsistentbiasthatfailstoreflectthediversityofopinionsand ideas.AbouthalftheemailIgetonthissubjectclaimsthatbiasisaLiberalone,whiletheotherhalfclaimsit'sadecidedlyConservativeone.Either way,thereisastrongsensefromsomereadersthatMediaorganizationshaveamixedrecordwhenitcomestoaccuratelyandfairlyreportingthe News. WEBLOGSASGRASSROOTSREPORTING Manypeoplearelookingtoweblogstohelpaddressthismediabias. Byaddingtothediversityoforiginalcontent,weblogshaveaddedawholenewlayertotheMediaFoodchain.Thatputsweblogsatthebaseofthe foodchain,generatingthesortofgrassrootsjournalismthatthenewMediaEcosystemhasgrownincreasinglydependentupon. Becausebloggersareclosertoastory,they'lloftenpickupthesortofthingsthattraditionalJournalistsmiss.ThisisexpeciallytrueforEyewitness blogs:blogswrittenbysomeoneinvolvedinastory.AndfewstoriesinrecenthistoryhaveinvolvedmorepeoplethantheSeptember11thattackson theWorldTradeCenter. EyewitnessBlogs 911wasreallythewatershedeventforthissortofgrassrootsreporting.I'vemetagoodnumberofNewYorkbloggers,andmanyofthemhavetold methesamething:"Ihadtostartbloggingafter911,justsomyfriendsandfamilyknewIwasok.Also,forthefirsttimeIfeltlikeIhad somethingtosaysomethingworthblogging." Therearesomanypost911weblogsthatthey'vegottentheirownname:Warblogs.EightmonthsafterSeptember11th,Warblogsmostlydissect andanalyzethenewsfromtheWaronTerrorism.Butimmediatelyafter911,Warblogsprovidedapowerfulformofpersonaljournalismthat captivatedthousandsofreaders. OnesuchwarblogwasBuzzMachine.combyJeffJarvis.IfoundJeff'spersonalstoryabout911farmoreengagingthanwatchingtheplanescrash

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intothetowersonCNNoverandover.Checkoutthisexcerptfromhisstoryandyou'llseewhatImean:

Therewasnolight.Icouldseenothing,onlyblack.Islammedintoabuilding,andatree,andanotherbuilding. Iheardpeopleandaskedwherewewere.Nooneanswered.IkeptgoingandfinallysawlightatChasePlazaII,wherethebuildingmanagers openedthedoors,lettingusrefugeesandmuchsmokeinside. Peopleretcheduptheblacksootofthetower.Theysplashedwaterfromanysinktheycouldfindtotrytocleanofftheinchthicklayerof destruction.TheytookshowersinbottledPolandSpringwater,evenSnapplefromalobbydelithatvolunteeredtobelootedbyus.

IfoundpersonalstorieslikeJeff'smorepowerfulthanalotofthePulitzerprizewinningNewYorkTimesandWSJcoverage.Jeffwasaneyewitness, someonewhowasliterallyonthescenecoveredinsootandrubble.Heconveyedonagutlevelthesortoffearandpanicthatalotofthetraditional mediacoverageseemedtomiss. Thissortofeyewitnessreportingcomesinlargepartfrompeople'sdesiretosharetheirstoriesandpublishthetruth.Thesearekeyfeaturesinblog basedGrassrootsReporting,andabigreasonthatweblogshaveexplodedinpopularitysinceSeptember11th. Sincethen,grassrootsreportinghascontinuedtobeakeystrengthofblogs.AnEyewitnessblogcangivereadersaninsidersaccount,likeBryan Mason'spopular(andpersonal)coverageoftheSaltLakeCityWinterOlympicswhereheworkedasanlogisticscoordinator. Eyewitnessblogscanalsoprovidefirsthandcoverageofpolitics,asevidencedbyAdamCurry'saccountoftheDutchresponsetopoliticianPim Fortuyn'sassassination.AccordingtoAdam'saccount,massmediagotthestoryallwrong:

Astheworld'smediastartedtoreportonthetragedycamemoredisbelief:PimFortuynwasbeingdescribedbytheworldpressasa"Hard Rightwinger","TheDutchLePen","antimuslim","Racist".... Withoutfailallthreemajornetworks(ABC,NBC,CBS)labeledPimFortuynasultrarightand/orracist.Withphrasessuchas"runningonan antimuslimplatform"or"theDutchLePen".

AdamdescribedacompletelydifferentmanthantheoneIhadreadabout:

ItwasstunningtoreadtheNewYorkFuckingTimesreport"Fortuyn'srisemirroredarightwingresurgenceinseveralEuropeancountries, latelyhighlightedbytheantiimmigrantJeanMarieLePen'ssurpriseshowinginthefirstroundofFrenchpresidentialelections." WastheTimestalkingaboutthesamePimthatthedutchendearedashewouldappearoneverytalkshow,alwaysdressedtothenicewith hissharpwitathand.WasthisthesamePimthecountryhadenjoyedfor10yearsasawriterofmanypoliticalbooksandweeklycolumns alwaysaimedsquarelyatexposingtheunderbellyofdutchpolitics,whichismostlyplayedoutbehindcloseddoorsintheHague.Alldutch knowit,butPimwasn'tafraidtosayit. PimFortuynnevercalledfora"Banonimmigration"or"RemovalofMuslims"....WhatPimdiddo,wasstartthepublicdebateabout immigrationandstandardoflivingintheNetherlands,whichisthesecondmostdenselypopulatedcountryintheworld.

Readingstorieslikethisreallyshakesmyfaithintraditionalmedia.WhodoItrust:theNewYorkTimes,orAdamCurry? That'satoughquestion.Aspersonalandpowerfulaseyewitnessblogscanbe,theyoftenlackthecredibilityofatraditionalnewsoutlet.Itrust Adamfromhavingreadhisblogforsolongnow,especiallywhenitcomestothosesubjectsIknowhe'sanexperton:music,radio,andtechnology. ButevenI'mnotsurehowmuchtotrusthisaccountofthePimFortuynassasination. Thenagain,maybethat'sthepointofgrassrootsreporting:atleastnowIhaveaccesstoanotherperspective.Thatperspectivehasopenedmeupto theideathatperhapsthetraditionalmassmediacoveragegotthefactsofthestorycompletelywrong.Inaworldwhereoverhalfthemedia outletsarecontrolledbysixcorporations,thatsortofdiversityofperspectiveisbecomingincreasinglyimportant. ThematicBlogs ThatdiversityofperspectiveisalsoreflectedinagrowingnumberofThematicBlogs. ThematicBlogsusuallyinvolveonepersonbloggingabouttheirareaofexpertiseorpassion.Thesebloggersoftenhavewidelyacceptedcredentials, likeanadvanceddegreefromatopuniversity,oratopjobsatarespectedcompany.Butmostimportant,theywritewonderfullyfocusedthoughts regularlyoftendailyaboutatopicthattheyareobsessedwith. Thesedays,it'snothardtofindalotofgreatthematicblogs.OnegoodexampleisAlanReiter'sWirelessDataweblog,providingoriginal contentandlinksonwirelessdata(there'sevenasectiononwirelessblogging!)Alanisdifferentthanyourusualinkstainedjournalist.For starters,he'stheCEOofhisownwirelessconsultingfirm. IfAlanwereatraditionaljournalist,he'dbefiredforhavingaconflictofinterest.Fortunatelyhe'sablogger,sowecanallbenefitfromhisindustry experiencebyreadinghisblog. Thematicblogsareanotherformofgrassrootsreporting,albeitonethatfitsmorecomfortablyintothetraditionaldefinitionofjournalism.It'seasyto thinkofthematicbloggersasminiatureversionsofjournalists,exceptwithlesspayandmoreofanagenda.Asaresult,thematicblogsaregenerally

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acceptedandrespectedbybothreadersandjournalistsalike.Astheygrowinnumber,they'llincreasinglyprovideavaluablemiddlegroundbetween professionalandamateurjournalism. Onebloggeractingaloneiseasytodismisswhat'ssorevolutionaryaboutthat?Butit'smuchhardertodismissawholegaggleofbloggersworking togethertocommitanactofjournalism. COLLABORATIVEMEDIA ThatsortofgroupjournalismisexactlywhatRustyFosterenableswithhisblogbasedwebsite,Kuro5hin.org.Rusty'sevencoinedanameforthis phenomena:CollaborativeMedia. Atfirst,CollaborativeMediaseemslikeanothertwistonThematicBlogs.Inbothcases,wehaveonepersonwritinganarticleabouttheirareaof expertise.ButKuro5hintakesitastepfurther:thesiteispoweredbyasoftwaresystemcalledScoopwhichletsotherpeoplecontributetothestory. ScoophasthreepowerfulfeatureswhichletpeoplecollaborateonastoryonKuro5hin:

Anyonecansubmitanarticle "[Anyonecan]submitstoriesaboutinterestingthingsthatyouhearabout,thingsyouthinkof,orotherthingswhichstrikeyourfancy. Thissitehasanopensubmissionqueue."

Anyonecanvoteonwhetherornotthatarticlepassesmuster "Anyusercanseeandvoteonallsubmittedstories.Ifyouwanttoseesomethingposted,youcanmakeithappenbyparticipatinginthe moderationofthestoriesinthesubmissionqueue.." "Garbagewillnotbetolerated.Otherscanandwillrateyourpostsintooblivion."

Anyonecanpostcommentsaboutastory,providingfeedbackandbuildingonthestory "[Anyonecan]postcommentsaboutthestoriesthatyouseehere....Commentingisaverygoodthing,andreallyhelpsarticlesdevelop intothediscussionsweliketoseehere." ThisvotingsystemtendstobebetteratAnalysisthanBreakingNews."Thevotingmodeldoesn'tpickuponuptotheminuteBreakingNews,"Rusty toldmeinaphoneinterview.Butthat'snotnecessarilyabadthing."Whattendstohappenisthatafteralagofadayortwo,yougetamore thoughtfulstory." Rustyhighlightedafewexampleslastyearinanessay:

[S]incethe9/11attacks,we'vehadsomeofthebestarticlesI'veseenonthesite,ever,andinacouplecases,muchbetterarticleson immediatelyrelevantnewsstoriesthanIsawinanyotherpublication.TaketheFloridaAnthraxscare:BacillusAnthracis,akaAnthrax,by anNYUmedicalstudent,describesthefactsoftherecentanthraxscare,discussesthebiologicalandmedicalrealitiesofanthrax,anddelves intothehistoryofweaponizedanthrax,concludingwithanassessmentofhowlikelyanthraxistobeusedasaweapon,andwhatkindof effectivenessitwouldhave.ThiswaspostedonOctober9th,andIhaveyettoseeanytraditionalnewssourcecoverthetopicwiththatkind ofcoherence,accuracy,orbalance. Howaboutthebigairlinesafetyscare?TwoarticlesbyaUSairlinecaptaindiscusstheproposedmeasurestosecureairliners,describingin detailwhatmightworkandwhatdefinitelywon't.The"Don'tCrash"ButtonandTheSolidSteelCockpitDoorhavemoresolidknowledge, experience,andfactsperparagraphthananymajormediatreatmentofthe"wemustsecureourplanes"hysteria.

ThereareotherblogstylesitesouttherethatenableCollaborativeMedia,butKuro5hinisuniqueinitsemphasisonoriginalcontent.Asaresult, Kuro5hinreadersdon'thavetowaitforJournaliststopublishastorytheycanlinkto...andsoKuro5hin'sgrassrootsreportingcanendupscoopingthe mainstreampress. RustycitedastoryonBMW'snewiDrivecarinterface,anewdigitalinterfacethatreplacesalotoftheswitchesandbuttonsinthenewBMW Series7automobiles."Ourstorycameoutoverfiveweeksago,wellbeforenewspapersstartedtorunthestory,"Rustytoldme. AsmuchasIenjoyKuro5hin'sstronganalysis,myheartlieswithitsfascinatingFeaturearticles.MattNobes,aKuro5hincontributor,haswrittena twopartseriesonParticlePhysicsthat'shighlyinstructive.AnothercontributorwroteaprofaneguidetotheworldoftobaccochewwhereI learnedallaboutthecultureandtaxonomyofchew.AndTrentSeigfriendtookthetimetowriteabouthisconversiontotheUbermanSleep Scheduleofsix"thirtyminutenapsspreadthroughouttheday". Ineachcase,awellwrittenarticlewasfollowedupbythoughtfulcommentsfrompeoplewithdirectexperienceinthefield.Kuro5hinhasproventhat withtherightsoftware,theCollaborativeMediamodelcanbeapowerfultoolforjournalism. WEBLOGSWORKINGTOGETHER:COLLABORATIVEMEDIA MostWeblogsdon'thavenearlytheamountoftechnologythat'sbakedintoKuro5hin'ssoftware.Asaresult,individualbloggersdon'thavethe seamlessexperienceofKuro5hincontributors."There'salotmorefrictionwithWeblogsthanKuro5hin,"Rustyexplained."Sometimestheylinkto eachother'scoverageofthesamestory,andsometimestheydon't.Thatcanmakeithardertofollowtheconversation." Butweblogsareclosingthegap.Rawnumbersdon'thurt:bymostestimates,therearemillionsofweblogsandjournals,withtensofthousandsof activeblogsavailabletoparticipateinCollaborativeMedia.Evenwiththefrictionofadecentralizedsystem,weblogshaveincreasingamountsofraw

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brainpowertohashouttheissuesbehindanewsstory. Inaddition,weblogindicieslikeBlogdexandDaypophavesprungupthatletyouknowwhoelseislinkingtoagivennewsstory.ThatAdamCurry coverageoftheDutchresponsetoPimFortunyn'sassassinationImentionedearlier?Blogdexshowsthat66separatesiteslinkedtothearticle, manyofthemprovidingcommentaryandmakingadditionalpointsabouttheevent.BlogIndiciesandcrosslinkingbetweensitesarecreatingthe samesortofcommunityandcollaborationthatmadeKuro5hinsoeffective. SiteslikeKuro5hinhaveproventhatacentralizedcommunitywebsitecandothesortofGrassrootsReportingthatisattheheartofCollaborative Media.NowdecentralizedindividualweblogsarealsotakingpartinthatsameCollaborativeMediaexperience,providingadecentralizedsolutionto Grassrootsreporting. JOURNALISTSASPREDATOR:USINGWEBLOGSFORSTORYIDEAS AllthisCollaborativeMediameansthatweblogsarebreakingmoreandmorestoriesandfeatures. Foodalwaysattractspredators,andthesejuicystoriesarenodifferent.ThepredatorsinthispieceoftheNewMediaFoodchainareJournalists,who areincreasinglyusingweblogsassourcesforstoryideas: TheNewMediaFoodChain UsingBlogsforStoryIdeas

BLOGGINGJOURNALISTS Sometimesthejournalistsareevenbloggersthemselves.Onesuchhybridblogger/journoisGlennReynolds,betterknowntomanyasInstapundit. Glennrecentlywroteacolumnaboutrecentverbalattacksata"PeaceintheMiddleEast"rallyatSanFranciscoStateUniversity.Accordingto oneeyewitnessaccount,Palestinian"counterdemonstratorspouredintotheplaza,screamingattheJews[intherally]to'Getoutorwewillkillyou' and'Hitlerdidnotfinishthejob.'" HowdidGlennknowaboutthisstory?ItbrokeonaweblogofwellknownbloggerMerylYourish.Merylreceivedanemaildescribingtherally fromLaurieZoloth,thedirectoroftheJewishStudiesprogramatSanFranciscoStateUniversity.AfterconfirmingwithLauriethattheemailwas authentic,Merylpublishedtheemailtoherblog.Otherbloggerspickeduponthestory,linkingtoeachotherasnewdevelopmentsinthestory broke(MacFrazierhasagoodroundupoftheblogcoverage).Somebloggersevendidindependentreporting.Merylconfirmedmanyfactsbefore shepostedthemonherblog,andScottArmelFunkhousertrackeddownsomeofthe"bloodlibel"posterswhichwerebeingpostedontheSFSU campus. AsoneofthemostactivemembersoftheBlogosphere,it'sonlynaturalthatGlennreadsMeryl'ssite.Evenifhedidn'theprobablywouldhave heardaboutthisstoryinoneoftheroughly300emailshegetsaday.ThisputsGlennatthecenterofthesortofCollaborativeMediaecosystemthat breaksstorieslikethisone. Glennisoneofanincreasingnumberofbloggerswithasoapboxinthemainstreampress.Infact,Glennhastwocolumns:aweeklycolumnin TechCentralStation,andabiweeklycolumnatFoxNews.LikemanyofthemoreprominentmembersoftheBlogosphere,Glenncameinto bloggingwithahealthybackgroundinpunditry.Beforehebloggedhisfirstpost,he'dalreadybeenpublishedintheLATimes,ChicagoTribune,and WashingtonPost...nottomentionhavingbeenontheMacNeilLehrerNewsHour,LarryKingLive,andtheO'ReillyFactor. Butit'sGlenn'sdualstatusasablogger/journalistthatgiveshimthepowertobringstoriesfromtheBlogosphereintotheMainstreamPress.HisFox Newsstorywasn'ttheonlycoverageoftheSFSUcontroversy.AsMerylandothersbrokethestory,othermainstreamoutletsfollowedthestory acrosstheBreakingNews>Analysis>OpEdcontinuum:

May14th

SanFranciscoChroniclecondemnstheincidentinaneditorial AdrienneSandersofTheSanFranciscoExaminerwritesanarticleaboutwhathappened. JohnPodhoretzoftheNewYorkPostwritesascathingcolumnonantiSemitismhighlightingtheSFSUincident May15th

AlisaSolomonofTheVillageVoicewritesacolumncondemningtheevents

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May16th

MelissaRadlerofTheJerusalemPostreportsonanewdevelopment:"Theuniversitypresidentissofedupwiththehatefilled atmosphereontheBayAreacampusthathehasaskedthelocaldistrictattorney'sofficetohelpbringproPalestinianhate mongerstojustice." TheWashingtonTimespublishesaneditorialcondemningtheincident May17th

AlezaGoldsmithoftheSFbasedJewishBulletinwritesacomprehensivearticlecoveringthestoryfromtheincidenttothe President'sresponse AsGlennexplained,"SometimesastorywillstreakacrosstheBlogospherelikeapraeriefire.Weblogscanbethedrygrass,helpingtospreadthe story."Butinterestingly,somestoriesdon'tmaketheleapfromweblogstomassmediaarticlespreciselybecausethey'vebeensowidelyblogged. Asheputit,"Journalistswillsometimesdropastoryideabecausethey'vealreadybeensowellcoveredinweblogs." NONBLOGGINGJOURNALISTS NotalljournaliststhatplugintotheBlogospherehavetheirownblogs. FarhadManjooofWiredNewsdoesn'thaveablog,buthefollowsthemveryclosely.Asheexplainedinaphoneinterview,"Ifbloggersaretalking aboutit,italmostalwaysmakesforaninterestingstoryidea." OncesuchideathatFarhadpickedupwasfromarecentpostbyRobMcNairHuffforMacNetJournal:

ApplepullsaMicrosoftbybundlingiChat SincetheintroductionofOSX,ApplehasbeenpullingaMicrosoftbundlingallkindsofprogramswiththeoperatingsystem.iChatisthe latestannouncedincursionintoanothersoftwarecategory,followingcloselyontheheelsofMail,iTunes,andiPhoto.

RobhadcomeupwithaninterestingangleonanewAppleproductlaunch,comparingSteveJobstoBillGates.YoumayhaveseenFarhad's subsequentWiredarticleonthesamesubject:Apple'Bundle'CreatesaRumble.AsFarhadadmittedwhenwespoke,thiswasno coincidence:"Rob'sblogpostcombinedwiththecommentsbuildingonhispointwastheinspirationforthearticle." FarhaddidmorethanjustpoachRob'sstoryidea.HebuiltonRob'sideaswithsolidreporting,interviewinganApplespokesperson,gettingquotes fromindependentdevelopers,andemailingRobforclarificationonafewpoints.Alsoimportantly,Farhadwouldn'thavewrittenthestoryatallifhe hadn'tcoveredtheAppledevelopersconferenceforWiredafewdaysbefore. ThisisJournalismandWeblogsworkingtogetheratitsbest.Bloggersbreakthenewsandhashitout...andaJournalistaddsalayerofreportingon it,bringingthatnewsbeyondtheBlogosphere. WeblogsareanimportantsourceofnewsforFarhadandWired.Infact,Farhadsharesasentimentthatresonateswithmyownexperiences: "It'smuchhardertobreaknewswithweblogsaround."Interestingly,that'snothingnewfortheWiredstaff."SlashdotbreaksnewsbeforeWiredall thetime,"headmitted."Whenthathappens,weonlyrunastoryifwecanfindanotherangleordoadditionalreporting,likeinterviewingtheoriginal source.OrifthestoryisrelevanttoanontechnicalaudiencebeyondSlashdot,wemaypickupthestoryanyway." Moreandmore,journalistslikeFarhadareturningtoweblogstofindoutwhat'shotornotontheweb. SLASHDOTANDBLOGDEX:THECLIFFNOTESOFTHEBLOGOSPHERE Somejournalistsaren'ttakingthetimetoreadtheoriginalblogs:theyjustskimSlashdotandBlogdex,lookingforthemostpopularlinkssotheycan writeaquickarticleaboutthelatesthotwebtrend.ThesesitesareemergingastheCliffNotesoftheBlogosphere:

BlogIndices=BlogdexandDaypop CommunityBlogs=Slashdot,Kuro5hin,Metafilter,F'dCompany.com,Plastic

Thesesitesarefrighteninglyefficientatbreakingnews.Asafriendputittome,"Ididn'trealizehowmuchtheNewYorkTimeswasyesterday's newsuntilIstartedreadingweblogs." WEBLOGSASPREDATOR:FEASTINGONJOURNALISTS'ARTICLES We'veseenhowJournalistscanactasPredatorsintheBlogosphere,preyingonthestoryideasgeneratedbyWeblogs'GrassrootsReporting. It'sonlyfittingthatWeblogsreturnthefavor.BlogsfeastdailyuponArticleswritenbyJournalists,linkingtoeacharticleandaddingtheirown commentandperspective.Indoingso,weblogsprovideyetanothervaluablefunctiontotheBlogosphere:FilteringandFactCheckingarticlesby Journalists. SURVIVALOFTHEFITTEST:WEBLOGSASAFILTER

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Darwinonceboileddownnaturalselectiontotenwords:""Multiply,vary,letthestrongestliveandtheweakestdie."That'sexactlyhowthe Blogosphereworks. Everynight,journalistsondeadlinesubmittheirstoriestotheireditors,postingtheirstoriestoawebsiteandturningthemintohyperlinks.With thousandsofjournaliststheworldoverwritingabouteverysubjectunderthesun,thestoriesMultiplyandVaryjustlikeDarwindescribes. Thenthenextmorning,bloggerswakeupandobsessivelylogontotheweb.Astheyblogthenews,theydecidewhichstoriestoreadandlinkto. That'swhenthestrongeststoriesliveandtheweakestdie.Forexample,ifGooglecomesoutwithanewproduct,youcanbetit'llbeoneofthe strongestlinks(lastThursday,Googleproductsaccountedfor20%ofthetop25stories).Ifthestoryisn'tnotaboutGoogle,Apple,orweblogs, there'sagoodchancenoonewilllinktoitandthelinkwilldie. Eitherway,youcanseetheresultseverymorningonBlogdexandDaypop:thetopstoriesfromthedaybefore.Inmanyways,BlogdexandDaypop areanevolutionaryscorecard,servingtofilterthenewsonadaily(andevenhourly)basis. JournalistsarequicklylearningwhatsortofstoriesattractattentionfromtheBlogosphere.ForFarhadofWiredNews,"therearetwothingsIwrite aboutthatare'dangerous':AppleComputerandWeblogs."ThatprovidesFarhadevenmoreincentivetogetthestoryright."Ihaveafewhoursto writemystories.WeblogshaveafewdaystotellmewhatIgotwrong." WhichbringsustothesecondbigpowerthatWeblogsbringtoJournalistArticles:FactChecking. FACTCHECKING AsKenLayneputitmemorably,nowweblogscan"factcheckyourass". Apersonalexample:IwroteanarticleaskingAreBlogger'sJournalists?,detailingmypersonalstruggleswithamateurjournalism.Oversixty separateweblogslinkedtomyarticle,manyofthemindeedfactcheckingmyass.Orrather,manyofthemwerecallingmeanass. Inshort,journalistslovedthepiece,butbloggershatedit.It'saninterestingexperiencebeingshreddedbyyourfellowbloggers.It'skindoflike beingableedingfishinaschoolofpiranha.Butthere'slifeafterdeath:arealdiscussioncameoutofthepiece,andIgothundredsofemailswith followupthoughtsonthesubjectofamateurjournalism.Ibloggedsomeofthefeedbackonmysite,andwasstruckbythetruthaJamesLilek quotethatGlennlikestohighlight:"Thenewspaperisalecture.Thewebisaconversation." JOURNALISTSASPREY It'sinthatconversationthatweasaBlogospherelearn.Butbeforewecanstarttheconversation,firstweneedsomethingtotalkabout.Andthisis whereJournalistsdeliver:aclearmajorityofthetopfiftylinkseverydayarewrittenbyJournalistsandpublishedinBigMedianewspapersand magazines. Totestthattheory,Ianalyzedthetop50linksonBlogdexonarandomday,SundayMarch3ofthisyear.Iplacedeachlinkintocategoriestosee whattypesoflinksweremostpopular:

Tp o Ln Nme o lns ye f ik ubr f ik

atce ril wbo elg qi uz wbpg e ae zn atce ie ril bo poet lg rjc fahaiain ls nmtos sfwr otae pesrlae rs ees

2 7 4 4 4 3 2 2 2 1

OverhalfofthelinksaretoJournalists'articles,apatternwhichholdstrueonmostanydayyoucheckoutBlogdex. Thispatternoflinkingdemonstratesthesymbiosisbetweenbloggersandjournalistsafactthatjournalistsoftenmisswhencoveringtheblogging sector(ScottRosenbergofSalonwroteoneofthefewjournalisticpiecesthatreallycapturedthissymbiosis).Perhapsit'smorefuntowriteabout NewMediaandOldMediaatwarwitheachother...orperhapsit'sjustasubtletythat'snoteasytopickupondeadline? THECOMPLETEBLOGOSPHERE TheBlogosphereispioneeringanewformofiterativejournalism.

GrassrootsReporting

First,storiesareincreasinglybeingbrokenbyweblogsdoinggrassrootsreporting. BlogFiltering

ThebestofthesestoriesarefilteredthroughacombinationofBlogdex,communityblogs,thematicblogs,andblogindices

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TraditionalReporting

Savvyjournalistsbothbloggingandnonbloggingalikeusetakethebestofthesebloginspiredstoryideasandwritearticles BlogFilteringandFactChecking

BloggerslinktothemostinterestingarticlesbyJournalists,factcheckingandfilteringthestories Asnewdevelopmentsbreakinthestory,they'repickedupbybloggersandjournalistsalike...andthenextiterationoftheMediaecosystembegins anew: ThecompleteBlogosphereinAction

LIESLIESANDMORELIES Thisiterativejournalismisn'talwaysagoodthing.AsOlivierTraverspointedoutinanemail,"I'mnotsuretheinformationcyclebetween blogosphereandmediacan'tsometimereinforceliesorbiases."

AgoodexampleofthisisastorybyAnanovathatcirculatedwidelyintheblogosphere:

EUmaygetnew'barcode'logo Over60blogslinkedtothestoryaboutthenewEUflag,mostofthembemoaningthe"hideous"and"truly uglynewflag".Butwhatmostpeopledon'tknowisthattheflagwasjustaconceptdesignnotofficially commissionedbytheEU. AsAnanovareportedinafollowup(EURejectsPlantoChangeFlag):

TherearenoplanstochangetheEuropeanUnionflag,CommissionofficialsinBrusselshaveinsisted,despiteanewdesignprofferedbya Dutcharchitect.

Onlyfiveblogshavelinkedtothefollowupstory...andnewsitescontinuetolinktothe"newbarcodelogo"flagstoryasrecentlyaslast week. TheiterativejournalismoftheBlogospherehasitsdangers.Still,thetraditionalmediafoodchainhaspropagatedsimilarmisinformationforyears... andinfact,providedtheoriginalmisinformationwhichlaunchedthisEUstory!There'slittlequestion,though,thattherateatwhichinformation spreadsisgrowingsincetheadventofweblogsandtheBlogosphere. Thatcanbebothablessingandacurse.Butit'simportanttonotethatforthefirsttime,everydaypeoplehaveawaytocorrectmisinformationand circulatethecorrectinformationbackintotheMediaEcosystem.AndoncethatinformationenterstheBlogosphere,ithasachancetospreadjustas quicklyastheoriginalinformation.ComparethatthedifficultingettingaCorrectionprintedinthenewspaper...andthen,thechancesofanyone seeingthatCorrectionburieddeepinsidethenextday'spaper. TheBlogosphereisn'tperfect,butit'sthemostrobustanddiverseMediaEcosystemwehave.Asthemechanismstyingittogethergrowmoreand moreautomated,itscollectivepowerandinfluencewillstarttoapproachthatofanysinglenewspaperormagazine. WARBLOGGERSTURBOCHARGEBLOGOSPHERE ThepowerandsizeoftheBlogospheregotahugeboostrecentlywiththepost9/11phenomenaofwarblogging.PunditslikeGlennReynoldsand AndrewSullivanprovidedailycoverageandanalysisofthelatestdevelopmentsintheWaronTerrorism,inspiringhundredsofotherstoblogas well. Mostimportantly,warblogginghasgreatlyincreasedtherelevanceoftheBlogosphereformostpeople.Beforewarblogging,manyofthelinksthat

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circulatedintheBlogospherefocusedontechnologyandwebdesign.Nowthere'sahealthydailydebateaboutpoliticalandculturalissuesthat's relevanttothemillionsofnewsjunkiesoutthere.That'sdrawingmorebloggersandblogreadersintotheBlogosphere,makingthenewMedia Ecosystemmorerobustwitheachpassingday. Aquickcomparisonrevealsthebreakoutappealofwarblogs:DaveWinerhasbeenwritingoneoftheleadingtechnologyblogsforoversixyears, attractingabout10,000readersaday.GlennReynoldsstartedblogginglastyear,andasoflastWednesdayhehad42,805readers,ofwhich almost25,000wereuniquevisitorswitheachvisitoronaveragevisiting1.7timesaday. WilltheBlogospheresurvivetheendofwarblogging?"Idon'tthinktheBlogospherewilldissipatewiththeendofthewar,"predictsGlennReynoldsof Instapundit.IthinkGlennisright.WarblogginghelpedbroadentheBlogospherebeyondthetechsector.Butnowthatit'shere,theBlogospherehas theaudienceandtheinfrastructureinplacetoReport,FilterandBreaktheNewsnomatterwhatthesubject. WHYTHEBLOGOSPHEREMATTERS ThinkingabouttheBlogosphereasabiologicalecosystemhelpedmegainadeeperunderstandingofhowitworks.Butwhyisthissoimportant? WhenItriedtoanswerthatquestion,thebiologicalecosytemmetaphordidn'tseemtohelp.JustasIwaslookingforthemetaphortoanswerthat question,IhadthechancetointerviewGlennReynoldsforthisarticle. Glennisapublishedauthorandalawschoolprofessor,soperhapsIshouldn'tbesurprisedthathistakefocusesontheintellectualimpactofweblogs. Asheexplained,"WhatIseeintheBlogosphereisverymuchlikethenetworkofEuropeancoffeeshopsinthe18thcentury." ThemoreIthoughtaboutit,themoreIlikedthat.Inmanyways,theBlogospherehasbecomethedefaultforumforintellectualdiscourse,asortof intercontinentalcoffeehousebuzzingwithdiscussionanddebate. It'aapowerfulmetaphor.TheseEuropeancoffeeshopswerethecelebrated"ThirdPlace"(besidesworkandhome)whereintellectualscouldreadthe freenewspapersanddebatetheimportantissuesoftheday.AccordingtoGlenn,thesecoffeeshopswerethebirthplaceofawholenewsetofideas thatfueledthenextgenerationofthinkers,artists,andbusinesspeople. Hmm...soundfamiliar? THEBLOGOSPHERE:THENEWGLOBALCOFFEEHOUSE WhenyoucomparetheBlogospheretoEuropeanCoffeeshops,wehaveacoupleofbigadvantages. Forstarters,youdon'thavetobeEuropeantoparticipate.TheBlogosphereisincreasinglyglobal,andasmoreandmorecountriescomeonlineitwill becomeevenmoreso.Evenlanguagebarriersarestartingtocomedown,duetotoolslikeGoogle'sTranslator. Also,bloggersdon'thavetotraveltofindthenearestcoffeeshop.Justlogontothewebandyou'reintheBlogosphere.Geographyhasbecome irrelevant. Finally,theBlogosphereisfreebothforbloggersandforreaders.Forlessthanapriceofacupofcoffee,youcantakepartintheglobal conversationwithsomeofthesmartestandmostinformedpeopleontheplanet. Whatareyouwaitingfor?

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