NET225S Writing for Electronic Media
Blogging and Reportage
A great number of blogs, maybe most, are reporting blogs. Some are affiliated with established publishing companies, and a great many more are independent.
When reporting an event, you can take a number of approaches. One is the “objective” report - that is, you attempt to report the event as it happened with no particular point of view expressed on your part. This is both difficult to do and largely a fallacy. With all due respect to Fox News (not much) “fair and balanced” is almost exactly NOT what they do. Fox has a clear point of view, and their reportage reflects that point of view.
Not long ago, newspapers openly declared their point of view, and in some cases were even named for political affiliation or philosophy. Did you know there used to be a newspaper in Sidney called the “Shelby County Democrat.” Can you imagine such a paper existing today?
Driven in part by backlash against how the Vietnam War was being reported, the major television networks in the 1970s attempted to instill a “values-free” reportage philosophy. Walter Cronkite’s signature sign-off phrase “And that’s the way it is...” is a declaration of what Bill O’Reilly now laughably calls a “spin-free zone.”
For individuals, it is all but impossible to separate one’s personal point of view from the reportage of events. After all, it is through our own point of view that we witness, process, recall and retell events. Studies show that human perception is incomplete, and memory is flawed, and changes over time.
The only way to be truly “fair” then is to admit up front - to your audience and to yourself - what your point of view is. You don’t have to go into a formal analysis, but if you are pro-Ohio State football, for instance, that should be reflected in the context of your blog. That way, when your audience (who will tend to think like you) reads your report of the trinkets-for-tattoos scandal, they will understand the context in which you present it.
Your assignment is to cover an event, gather information, photos, etc., and then report the event on your blog.
One approach is the “live blog,” where you write short entries and post them immediately as they happen. Another approach is to gather information, process and organize your thoughts, and then post a longer, more crafted blog entry some time after.
What I do NOT want is what Fox often calls reporting, which is repeating what others are saying about the event. That’s just conflict mongering, and is about as useful and interesting as listening to dogs bark.
You can pick your event, but it must be one that you can attend in person. If you are witnessing something via television, then you are already (at least) one filter removed from reality. It can be a sporting event, a meeting, or other event public or private.
In your report, which you will post to your blog, describe the event - date, location, who is there and why. Then establish a point of view for the event - are you an active participant, an interested bystander, a critic?
Decide whether you will live blog or write your report after the fact (you could, I suppose, do both). Use proper spelling and grammar.
If you have difficulty picking an event, let me know and I’ll help you find something.
Have your finished reports posted no later than class time October 5. This week’s class time September 28 will be open lab and optional, if you need my help.
Please email me with any questions.
Blogging and Reportage
A great number of blogs, maybe most, are reporting blogs. Some are affiliated with established publishing companies, and a great many more are independent.
When reporting an event, you can take a number of approaches. One is the “objective” report - that is, you attempt to report the event as it happened with no particular point of view expressed on your part. This is both difficult to do and largely a fallacy. With all due respect to Fox News (not much) “fair and balanced” is almost exactly NOT what they do. Fox has a clear point of view, and their reportage reflects that point of view.
Not long ago, newspapers openly declared their point of view, and in some cases were even named for political affiliation or philosophy. Did you know there used to be a newspaper in Sidney called the “Shelby County Democrat.” Can you imagine such a paper existing today?
Driven in part by backlash against how the Vietnam War was being reported, the major television networks in the 1970s attempted to instill a “values-free” reportage philosophy. Walter Cronkite’s signature sign-off phrase “And that’s the way it is...” is a declaration of what Bill O’Reilly now laughably calls a “spin-free zone.”
For individuals, it is all but impossible to separate one’s personal point of view from the reportage of events. After all, it is through our own point of view that we witness, process, recall and retell events. Studies show that human perception is incomplete, and memory is flawed, and changes over time.
The only way to be truly “fair” then is to admit up front - to your audience and to yourself - what your point of view is. You don’t have to go into a formal analysis, but if you are pro-Ohio State football, for instance, that should be reflected in the context of your blog. That way, when your audience (who will tend to think like you) reads your report of the trinkets-for-tattoos scandal, they will understand the context in which you present it.
Your assignment is to cover an event, gather information, photos, etc., and then report the event on your blog.
One approach is the “live blog,” where you write short entries and post them immediately as they happen. Another approach is to gather information, process and organize your thoughts, and then post a longer, more crafted blog entry some time after.
What I do NOT want is what Fox often calls reporting, which is repeating what others are saying about the event. That’s just conflict mongering, and is about as useful and interesting as listening to dogs bark.
You can pick your event, but it must be one that you can attend in person. If you are witnessing something via television, then you are already (at least) one filter removed from reality. It can be a sporting event, a meeting, or other event public or private.
In your report, which you will post to your blog, describe the event - date, location, who is there and why. Then establish a point of view for the event - are you an active participant, an interested bystander, a critic?
Decide whether you will live blog or write your report after the fact (you could, I suppose, do both). Use proper spelling and grammar.
If you have difficulty picking an event, let me know and I’ll help you find something.
Have your finished reports posted no later than class time October 5. This week’s class time September 28 will be open lab and optional, if you need my help.
Please email me with any questions.
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