Is blogging an acceptable replacement?

Posted by Betsey Reinsborough on November 4, 2009 at 3:24 PM

After twenty years as a reporter for the Washington Post, Avis Thomas-Lester has become a blogger. Though somewhat of a Luddite, she seems to be taking it all in stride throughout her first blog post on Rapid Reinvention. Due to the change in the atmosphere and execution of news reporting, Thomas-Lester has been given her hardest assignment to date, one which she is quite frank about with her audience. This was not her decision, this was not her choice, but is she ever going to make the most of it: " you'll have me, blogging two or three times a day, in this very spot... I'll also be tweeting on Twitter, friending on Facebook and hoping that you Digg me." It's an instant immersion into the sea of social networking.

She is definitely not the only one either. Many journalists have had to switch up their typical routines to accommodate for the surge in internet reliance. Many papers have launched web version, including USAToday and the online only St. Louis Globe-Democrat, with more sure to follow soon.

There is a tone of resentment in Thomas-Lester's piece, but also one of anticipation. She calls for feedback at the end of her article, asking readers to write in with thoughts or in search of solidarity. She acknowledges the overabundance of others who are going through similar life changes.

But the question remains: is this a good move or a bad decision for the newspaper industry? Moving experienced journalists into the cyber realm saves jobs and cuts costs. It allows expertise to be brought to a new foreground and a new audience. It also, though, creates confusion about professional responsibilities and brings to mind the question of ageism. Asking journalists to convert to technological media without a hitch, while under pressure to keep their jobs- as Thomas-Lester feels she is- is a lofty expectation. And bringing in new blood to take over the technological tasks would be a gutsy move in this season of lay-offs. It is a Catch-22: if papers do not convert, they could lose readers; if they do convert, they could lose direction.

We shall just have to wait and see how this great experiment turns out.

Source: Washington Post