I read half a dozen blog posts this week that kind of made a mockery of the broadside News Limited boss John Hartigan recently aimed at the blogging fraternity.
For those unaware of the outburst in question, in a speech to Canberra's National Press Club Hartigan turned on the blogging fraternity, reportedly saying:
"In return for their free content, we pretty much get what we paid for - something of such limited intellectual value as to be barely discernible from massive ignorance".
Naturally, the blogging community bit back.
Respected media commentator Mark Day suggested bloggers' rage at Hartigan's comments showed they were out of touch with reality.
High-profile finance journalist and founder of Business Spectator Alan Kohler countered Hartigan's argument with this sensible piece.
Anyway, back to the blog posts as mentioned in the opening para:
Some of Australia's leading bloggers contributed a post under the theme ManWeek (organised by Reach Out Australia). I think you'll agree they're well-written, insightful, raw and honest accounts.
The Journey to First-Time Fatherhood (Mark Pollard)
A Little Fluffy (Gavin Heaton)
Limited intellectual value Mr Hartigan? I don't think so.
http://www.gapingvoid.com
The point is:
Far from being ignorant, bloggers are often experts in their field and because they write about what they know, the depth of knowledge is often significant and their opinion is valued (whether you agree or not) - and, I might say, the willingness of bloggers to freely share their thoughts and ideas is to be applauded.
Blogging is the 'passion medium' (or, as some people like to call it, the 'enthusiasm medium'). Why? Because bloggers write with passion and enthusiasm - they write because they want to, not because it's a job. In most instances, they don't derive any direct income as a result of their efforts.
So why does Mr Hartigan feel the need to denigrate bloggers? Indeed, why is he even bothering comparing them to professional journalists? They are different mediums with different styles of writing.
It's like the editor of The Australian recently comparing Twitter to the Herald-Sun - why on earth does he feel the need to do so?
For the record, I'm a trained journalist and a self-confessed media junkie who reads newspapers more than most. I also happen to love social media and all it entails.
Blogs are part of my daily diet of information (along with other forms of traditional media) - they provide me with the extra dimension of specialised insight and opinion I cannot get from newspapers, radio or television.
A more productive way forward for senior media executives would be to embrace the seismic change that is occurring, engage bloggers and new media mavens in dialogue (rather than putting them off-side with deliberate inflammatory language) and start implementing seriously - as opposed to paying lip service to - the exciting online tools and technological platforms that are taking the world by storm.
FOR A GOOD CROSS-SECTION OF BLOGGING, CHECK OUT AUSTRALIA'S TOP 100 WOMEN BLOGGERS.
For more on the John Hartigan debate:
Hartigan on Old and New Media
