Newest Form Of Journalism?

After reading so many articles about the history behind blogs and the art of blogging, I've come to agree with what Rettberg says in Chapter 4 of his book. Blogging really is a form of journalism, whether bloggers consider themselves as journalists or not. One important characteristic of a journalist is that they fact check the information being delivered. Rettberg stated in his article that although few bloggers consider themselves as journalists, almost all make sure their facts are correct before publishing a blog.

When thinking about all the people that blog and the vast amounts of topics covered through blogs, I ask myself who all of these authors are. Are these people getting paid to write these blogs? After reading Chapter 6 of Rettberg’s book I learned the answer to that question – no. Only a limited number of top blogs generate income. So really a blog is a way of communicating topics of interest, that are usually factually correct, between every day citizens of the world. So what are these bloggers writing about?

In Chapter 6, Rettberg goes into detail on how blogs work in marketing. While reading the chapter I thought of the different types of blogs that I read. I also though about the main reasons why I kept revisiting these particular blogs – what was I getting out of these websites? Well, a lot of the blogs that I frequently visit are related to health/fitness and healthy cooking options. Maybe some of the authors are getting paid, but a lot of them are not. What I find most interesting about these blogs and my interest level in them is the fact that these women are marketing a lifestyle and idea to me – not a good.

These blogs have impacted my life in a positive aspect, since I’ve chosen to become more healthy and active since starting to read them. I believe that blogs have an immense amount of power to engage and inspire readers, an amount of power that is definitely underestimated. 

Discussion Questions
1. What types of blogs do you follow? Why?

2. Do you feel that you are receiving credible information when reading blogs? If not, what do you prefer as a source of credible information?