Is the term “blog” used by online newspapers as an excuse to validate shitty journalism?
At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite – posting this on my blog – I’ve noticed that online newspapers have been using so-called “blogging” and using it as an excuse for lazy, shitty journalism. This allows the newspapers to post attention-grabbing headlines on their websites, without any substance behind them. Rather than a well-thought out, balanced, heavily researched article critiqued by an editor, we get a short piece thrown together on a whim with a question slapped on the end to encourage “engagement”.
Perhaps it’s our short attention spans that’s to blame. Online newspapers are often perused throughout the day for a quick fix and the attention-grabbing headlines provide.
But it’s not what I expect from reputable broadsheets and I think it’s damaging their brands and devaluing journalism. As much as bloggers like to spout off about how blogging is democratising journalism etc. etc., professional journalism is a critical part of democratic society and need to be upheld. Putting your masthead on trivial nonsense and crappy journalism that would never be put into print is a poor exercise in brand management.
