The Art of Blogging
Ah the blog. The word sounds more like a weather condition than a new form of 21st century writing. It’s the most uncomplicated form of writing, yet for the graduate journalism student it brings only contempt.
Last semester was my first encounter with the blog. Rather it was the first time I was required to write one for a grade. The class was reporting public affairs and I covered the primary election for Obama. The blog was about 300 words, and included links, factual information, quotes and contact lists. This only furthered my confusion about blogs and its purpose. To me this was just a shorter version of a news article.
Even when I went in for job interviews, the mention of my writing a blog, sparked interest in the interviewer. They wanted to know about the topics I wrote about and the technology I was using, but little about the content. Sure I know how to write a blog and upload it, but my blogs are mostly opinions, and what purpose does that serve with few facts, quotes, or citations?
After reading some of my classmate’s blogs, I realized the art of blogging is not news centered at all, but more about having a voice. I also read blogs from people in Pakistan, China, and Italy. And it was amazing to read about their views on government, economy, and human rights rather than reading their news or U.S. news interpretations.
Defining the line between blogging and news writing, at first was a challenge to me. The idea of writing just my opinions went against everything I was taught. But as I read a blog from a Burmese Refugee in Thailand, it provides more insight than a news story ever could, and that is what journalism is all about.
3 years ago