FOR A CONCEPT that didn't even exist a few years ago,the "blogosphere" has redefined journalism and political engagement. A CNN/ USA Today/ Gallup poll found that 44 percent of Americans with Internet access between the ages of 18 to 29 read blogs regularly. Indeed it seems everyone has a blog today, from university students to Howard Dean with his "Blog for America." It may be futile to lament the decline of newspapers, but it is worthwhile to caution people in how they use new information technology, culling what is important and credible from the thousands of Web sites masquerading as representatives of the truth. For the same reasons you don't rely on my column alone for your political edification, don't get sucked into the blogosphere as your sole source of information.
Many bloggers who work on the Hill seem to be nothing more than gossip-mongers with a predilection to write about salacious sex rumors. In 2004, a scandal erupted in Sen. Mike Dewine's, R-Oh., office. One of his low level staffers was found out to be writing on a blog, Washingtonienne.com, about her busy sex life, including an alleged affair with a married chief-of-staff in a federal agency. Americans are already too preoccupied with Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City -- why give them even more opportunities to indulge?
According to a front page article in The Wall Street Journal last year, the newspaper industry is facing its worst decline since 1990 to 1991, at a rate of one percent to three percent across the board. The Journal went on to report News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch's statement that a "revolution" is occurring in how young people get their news fix. Murdoch later presented a lecture at a convention of newspaper editors positing that young twenty-somethings "don't want to rely on a god-like figure from above to tell them what's important."
Most young people today instead turn to the Internet to get their news; some glance over the online Washington Post while others turn to slanted, partisan Web sites like blogs that are styled as journals with entries appearing in reverse chronological order. Readers often fail to research the writers of the blog to ascertain if they are credible writers or simply peddlers of pseudo-punditry.
There are many positive aspects of the blogosphere. For one, the average person has much more access to all sorts of stances on political issues, and they are encouraged to respond. Blogs are more like informative internet conversations in this way, rather than going through the oh-so-difficult process of writing a letter to the editor in response to an article. Blogs add a little flair to lackluster politics-as-usual as well, such as a poll on Wonkette -- a hot-button issue political blog -- ranking the hottest Hill interns of the summer. But substance should not play second fiddle to entertainment.
Above all else, Americans should turn to reliable journalists for commentary and opinion columns. Maureen Dowd, a columnist for the New York Times, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for her coverage of the Clinton sex scandal. George Will, who writes for the Washington Post, earned degrees from Oxford and Princeton and went on to teach at Harvard. These people have the credibility to make informed judgments on issues in politics.
The rise of "grassroots journalism" seems to be yet another example of a disdain for what is considered the "elites," when often these elites are the people who worked hard to earn their status. Put simply, educated, intelligent people should be the ones doing the talking, not some amateur with a clever writing style and Internet savvy (barring, of course, this Opinion column).
To the chagrin of us old-fashioned folks who like the inky residue on our thumbs after a morning spent reading the local paper, it is more than likely an inevitable truth that most printed newspapers will fade into oblivion. Many news companies recognize this and already offer their papers online for free. In order to make some profit, some newspapers like The New York Times charge online readers less than $10 a month to access select sections of the paper, like opinion columns and visual media. This is a small price to pay for responsible, convenient journalism.
Legitimate blogs can offer a supplement to acclaimed newspapers and news programs on television, but they should not become a substitute. For example, Salon.com and The Drudge Report are two recognized mainstream online news sources with a focus on politics. Although Salon does have a liberal bias, well-known conservatives such as Andrew Sullivan contribute to the Web site.
There is a real danger that newspapers and literary journals will disappear as less and less people subscribe to them. Bloggers may claim newspapers are rapidly becoming obsolete, and blogs offer anyone an opportunity to keep politicians accountable. However, we need to be cautious as we champion the voice of the little guy -- we may silence those actually worth hearing.
Marta Cook's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at mcook@cavalierdaily.com.
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