Bloggers vs. Journalists:  There is a difference

Within the past several years with the drastic expansion of the web, there has been a complete revolution in the field of journalism, and the way people get their news.  In the “good old” days, people would pick up the newspaper, either local or national, and use that as their main source of news.  Although newspapers still exist and many people still use them, a significant amount of people have begun to utilize online resources as their main source of news rather than newspapers. 

If we want to know recent news about something, take the recent ISIS crisis for example, we can easily go to CNN, NBC, or FOX’s news websites and see real time updates on what is happening rather than having to wait for the newspaper the following day.  This is a luxury we enjoy now, and it is just one example of how the field of journalism has changed so much with the expansion of different forms of technology.  With cell phones, people can document an occurrence and report news on their own.  Everyone has the capability to be a reporter by sending that footage to a news station or using his or her very own social media accounts.

With the rise of the web, we have seen the rise of bloggers.  Bloggers are people who post information and opinions online in the form of a report.  One (and probably the most significant) difference between bloggers and journalists is that journalists are held to a higher standard in their work by their employers.  Journalists, usually, must tell the truth and take pride in getting facts correct, and usually concentrate on the details of a story, not an opinion on it, unless it’s an opinion piece.  Bloggers, on the contrary, are not held to this standard.  Anyone can start a blog and basically write anything they want.  If they want to publish complete lies in the Internet for anyone to read, they can do that.  This is why blogs usually can’t be viewed as credible as professional news sites.

Now, there are people who blog and are very professional about it.  Sometimes, companies can even use bloggers to promote the business and the products it produces.  Some bloggers don’t take pitches from companies in the way journalists might, but some do.  These influential bloggers who have many people read their publications can be a great way for companies to reach new people.  A great way to contact bloggers and journalists is through social media.  If a blogger or journalist is active on social media, direct messaging is a way to directly get in touch with them without harassing. 

To conclude, sometimes bloggers and journalists can play a similar role, especially in the eyes of a company, but their fields really are different.