|
Blogging gains popularity
In 2004, the role of blogs became increasingly mainstream, as political consultants , news services and candidates began using them as tools for outreach and opinion forming. Even politicians not actively campaigning, such as MP Tom Watson of the UK Labour Party , began to blog to bond with constituents.
Minnesota Public Radio broadcast a program by Christopher Lydon and Matt Stoller called "The Blogging of the President," which covered a transformation in politics that blogging seemed to presage. The Columbia Journalism Review began regular coverage of blogs and blogging. Anthologies of blog pieces reached print, and blogging personalities began appearing on radio and television. In the summer of 2004, both (America's Democratic and Republican ) parties' conventions credentialed bloggers, and blogs became a standard part of the publicity arsenal. Mainstream television programs, such as Chris Matthews ' Hardball , formed their own blogs. Merriam-Webster 's Dictionary declared "blog" as the word of the year in 2004. ( Wikinews )
Blogs were among the driving forces behind the " Rathergate " scandal. To wit: (television journalist) Dan Rather presented documents (on the CBS show 60 Minutes ) that conflicted with accepted accounts of President Bush's military service record. Conservative bloggers declared the documents to be forgeries and presented arguments in support of that view, and CBS apologized for what it said were inadequate reporting techniques. (See Little Green Footballs .) Many bloggers view this scandal as the advent of blogs' acceptance by the mass media, both as a source of news and opinion and as means of applying political pressure.
Some bloggers have moved over to other media. The following bloggers (and others) have appeared on radio and television: Duncan Black (known widely by his pseudonym, Atrios), Glenn Reynolds ( Instapundit ) , Markos Moulitsas ZšČniga ( Daily Kos ), and Ana Marie Cox ( Wonkette ). Hugh Hewitt is an example of a media personality who has moved in the other direction, adding to his reach in "old media" by being an influential blogger.
Some blogs were an important source of news during the December 2004 Tsunami such as Medicins Sans Frontieres , which used SMS text messaging to report from affected areas in Sri Lanka and Southern India.
Around the beginning of 2005 , amateur blogging took off in a big way. Terms such as ' Alternative media ' began to be used for blogging in the mainstream US media. Well-informed bloggers like Sameer Bhat and Delilah Boyd soon shot into prominence by sheer ingenuity and clarity of their content. Gary Winnick
In the United Kingdom , The Guardian newspaper launched a redesign in September 2005, which included a daily digest of blogs on page 2.
In January 2005 , Fortune magazine listed eight bloggers that business people "could not ignore": Peter Rojas , Xeni Jardin , Ben Trott , Mena Trott , Jonathan Schwartz , Jason Goldman , Robert Scoble , and Jason Calacanis .
|
