Friday, October 15, 2004 11:39 AM
As we see more and more well-written blawgs cited and linked-to in the news media and beyond, the growth of weblogs as a medium for information dissemination continues unabated. A prime example of this growth was recently discussed on the radio show On the Media, as part of a larger report on the challenges of reporting from Iraq. Listening to the story of the expanding role of weblogs in the reporting left me wondering if weblogs are now seen as a key source of news from Iraq?
The On the Media report discussed the realities behind the seeming lack of reporting concerning daily life on the ground in Iraq. Of interest, reporters in Iraq offered commentary that their personal safety is of such concern amid the growing violence, they are often unable to leave designated safe zones to report. Instead, they are relying more and more on local stringers and free-lancers who are risking life and limb in trying to gather the news.
A telling story about just how risky reporting in Iraq actually is comes from Farnaz Fassihi, a reporter with the Wall Street Journal stationed in Iraq, who sent this email (it has since been disseminated far and wide) of life in Iraq.
According to the On the Media report, one of the results of this scary reality for reporters is that bloggers are taking on a greater role in reporting the news from Iraq. An example is Juan Cole, a professor at the University of Michigan, who maintains a weblog covering the Middle East, and the War in Iraq. Professor Cole is not even based in Iraq, but instead Ann Arbor, Michigan. He pulls his blog content from news wires and related sources throughout the world including Arab media. According to the On the Media report, Professor Cole's weblog is becoming a must-read, even among reporters who are actually on the ground in Iraq, for news about and from Iraq. Apparently, in part, because the reporters in Iraq are sheltered for their own safety and not always able to assess Iraq beyond their immediate area.
Of the free lancers on the ground in Iraq, those who combine reporting with blogging continue to reach an audience looking for more details and information about life in Iraq. One such blogger/reporter is Christopher Allbritton, who regularly posts updates to his blog concerning what he is seeing in Iraq.
Ultimately, whether it is United States based blogger aggregating wide-ranging news reports into a single location or an Iraq-based free lancer posting weekly updates to a personal blog, the reality is that weblogs continue to grow as a key medium for disseminating information. And, if weblogs continue to provide news and information not readily available in the mainstream press, it is likely they will also continue to grow in readership and authority. The continuing conflict in Iraq is providing a test case for this new medium and, until mainstream reporters again are able to actively seek out and report the news from all over Iraq, the "blog dynamic" in information dissemination will likely keep expanding.