Creeping bloggerism continues. Here in MA, the Grand Poobahs of justice, a.k.a. the Supreme Judicial Court, ruled on their rules today to bring citizen journalists into their news media fold.
To most, that is between small and nothing. To internet writers, it's hot stuff.
Universal Hub's Adam Gaffin was quietly, politely, as is his wont, in the scrum from the beginning. He was quick to note that he helped draft the update, upgrade to SJC rule 1:19. As innocuous as it might seem, the change by the whole SJC brought the body into this century. This likely will lead other sleepy atavistic judges in other MA courts to attention. Oh, they will think, the SJC says bloggers are journalists. How about that?
The salient point in the rule ruling is the new definition:
The "news media" shall include any authorized representative of a news organization that has registered with the Public Information Officer of the Supreme Judicial Court or any individual who is so registered. Registration shall be afforded to organizations that regularly gather, prepare, photograph, record, write, edit, report or publish news or information about maters of public interest for dissemination to the public in any medium, whether print or electronic, and to individuals who regularly perform a similar function upon certification by the organizations or individuals that they perform such a role and that they will familiarize themselves or their representatives, as the case may be with the provisions of this rule and will comply with them.
Sure, blah, blah and sure, the Poobah proprietary continues — no stealth recording or photography, advance permission from the PIO and judge and so forth. Yet, it's a welcome and overdue change.
I think of a certain MA Governor, a Deval Patrick, who five years ago to the month dubbed bloggers press. He held a town meeting at Boston Latin School, replete with the likes of Mayor Tom Menino speaking before him. Then he squirreled up in room 023 of the basement with a few dozen of us reportorial bloggy types. He held a full press conference, yes, press conference. He had use netroots and new media to get elected and had not forgotten.
He continued and keeps involving us in his media communication. He's come on Left Ahead several times. In short, he acknowledged from the beginning of his first campaign that bloggers could be news media if they reported and analyzed.
Such is pragmatism and realism.
In contrast, I think of the treatment by more traditional media even recently. Many seem to resent bloggers in puerile and competitive ways. They should mature a bit.
Locally, the likes of the Boston Globe rarely mention a blog's name, even as they quote them without attribution. (Video god Steve Garfield has been splendid in calling the Morrissey mob on that.) In my own petty concerns, I think lately of BUR's Bianca Vasquez Toness using me, quoting me for a piece on Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley...without citing my blogs or podcast. She had been reading my stuff, but defined me as "a political blogger in Hyde Park." Try to imagine how BUR or NPR would react to their material being quoted with the only reference being to "a college radio station in Boston."
Likewise and worse, during the prolonged frenzy about US Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren and me bantering about right wingers calling her a hick for being from OK and an elitist for teaching at Harvard Law, most newsy types avoided attribution. Some cited Left Ahead, but not by URL. There was nationwide (and beyond) coverage but none of the major media provided the professional courtesy of linking to the source. Even in multiple Youtube excepts of Warren and me, they treated the clips like their own material.
As an amusing aside, my wife laughed at ABC News' typo in its coverage, where "Host Mike Ball" was rendered at "Hot Mike Ball." She may be one of the few in the world who agrees with the error, but many other outlets repeated the typo though cutting and pasting. So for a couple of days, I was hot.
I feel newsy as a blogger for having come out of journalism school, working in high-school and college papers, before daily and weekly newspaper jobs and on to magazine writing. I quote sources. Whenever possible, my newsy blog posts include links as well as identification for those cited.
There's no reason beyond childish competitiveness and bad training that MSM folk can't, won't or don't credit bloggers and podcasters.
When we have an elected official, candidate for office or any expert on the Left Ahead show or as part of a post, if it's good enough to quote, we should be good enough to cite. I've heard my stuff quoted locally as well as on the networks. The likes of GBH's Emily Rooney treat that material like it's theirs, public domain or maybe original.
I can't control that kind of abuse. However, in the future when Vasquez Toness or other newshounds sniff around, I'm making it plain. the SJC acknowledges that bloggers and our ilk can be news media. I expect the professional courtesy that I extend to them. If they quote me, any of my blog posts or any of my podcasts, I require a full citation with a URL.
If their J-school profs, editors or program directors or their mammas for that matter didn't teach them that, I can provide that service.
Cross-post: This appeared first at Harrumph.
If their J-school profs, editors or program directors or their mammas for that matter didn't teach them that, I can provide that service.
Cross-post: This appeared first at Harrumph.
Tags: harrumpher, Left Ahead, news, attibution, Gaffin, media, Universal Hub, WBUR, SJC, Toness, Elizabeth Warren
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