PHOTO
What Blogging Is? ... a Development in Journalism
by Pat Darnell
Blogging developed out of healthy curiosity, as a taunt, a tantalize, and to quicken, in opposition to journalism. Plainly, Associated Press does a great job in getting first line on the facts of a story. And without AP most of us bloggers are SOL ... without a paddle.
Donkey Kong has its Diddy Kong, who shadows the action. Judge Dredd on his LawMaster Twin has a sidekick in most of his stories. Abbot has Costello. 'Nuff said. Brutal, yes.
Journalists have been adjusted out of their comfort zones. Two developments in technology might be responsible.First, High Definition Television, and second, Blogging, contribute to the rise or downfall of would-be journalists floating in current seas of the
News Business.
With advent of High Definition monitors technology -- you might have noticed -- all the journalists are wearing tons of pancake makeup; more than before High Def TV. I don't even see a nose line in there anymore. [Woe is me: where did you go Sid Lasher?]
As for Blogs and social networks, a story reported today, is shadowed by millions of opposite editorializing, and sometimes un-scrupled devices invented by Blogsters.
What this can do for journalism, one would naturally ask? Mostly, blogging asks pertinent questions about the subject. Who- What- When, has been covered for centuries -- now is the time for HOW and WHY to find their way into journalism! Right?
For instance, I suggest this: if blogging had been around when JFK was murdered, there might not have been the rapid murdering of his killer, his brother Bobby, and brother from another brother MLK. Shoot, maybe Lennon might have escaped and survived if high definition Blogging and social networking were around.
A good blogging on the streets makes our lives more survivable. Blogging might have helped Nixon realize he did not have to resign. We might not have lost a hundred thousand Americans in Vietnam.
Today "Pertinent" needs defining just like everything else. Stop a moment, and consider the Blog. It defines pertinence.
Here is the gist of the matter: Journalists wielded power over politics and entertainers for centuries. And the King would tell the journalist what to say. This led to a tradition that a microcosm of population achieved essentially
minority rule. Now monarchs of the elite press groups must face an onslaught of blogger questions, good- bad- and ugly, just to get a paycheck, anymore.
It is in the telling once and future Walter Cronkite wannabes, you are going to fight for your grub-steak; duking it out with us street people. And, well, there you have it. Sure those journalists who have it good are adverse to the change. But Katie and all the rest need to put on more grease paint for me. I never liked being held in the dark.
Now the many of us, Bloggers at large, are the Cats taking out the Norwegian Brown rats.
Like my DePaul Logic Professor, Patrick Kellerher, once said: "Philosophy must be brought back to the streets."
No?
PHOTO: TV face -- A condition in which a person's face becomes too relaxed from
staring at the same thing too long (watching TV). Symptoms are: open mouth, dropped jaw, eyes glazed over and occasional drooling.
... "I don't think he heard a thing I said. He has total TV face right now." ... (urban dictionary)
NEXT WEEK: The BLOGGER Award ... Oscar, Emmy or Red Slippers of the Wicked Witch?
