Cocaine - More Thoughts about Blogging
There have been several recent articles again about blogs, blogging, bloggers, and various perceptions of such. One article really struck home with me which is titled Blogs Are Fine With Me, by Detroit Red Wings beat writer Bruce MacLeod. It seems that Bruce has an addiction problem and considers himself to be a “blogaholic”. I must admit that I share many of the same symptoms that Bruce describes! Most importantly though, Bruce is a professional journalist who “gets it” about blogs. Here are a few lines from some excerpts from his article.
My name is Bruce. And I too am a blogaholic. I prefer to not give you my last name because frankly, I’m afraid of the ridicule. Many of my media brethren look down upon those of us who like to take a quick swig of blog right after dinner or mix a little blogs in with our morning coffee as a morning pick-me-up. I started reading blogs a couple of years ago and it’s gotten to the point that I can’t remember the last day that I made it through without tasting at least one blog.
and best of all…
Personally, I read blogs daily. There’s lots of good stuff there and lots of garbage, kind of like movies or TV shows or newspapers. The vast majority of blogs are done by people who aren’t beat writers or in the media or journalists. I’m not sure why journalists feel the need to inform the world of this. I know it. My friends who aren’t journalists know it. It’s pretty obvious and it’s an unreadable blog if someone is passing themselves off as something they are not. Blogs are a collection house of information and links to primary sources. Nothing wrong with that, in fact that allows me to get more done with my time on the Internet than if I never read blogs. And blogs do offer commentary and that’s a good thing too. I’ve read dozens of newspaper columns this year about the Red Wings from columnists who haven’t been to many — if any — of the games. I’m not sure what the difference is. Journalists slamming bloggers is actually a variation of the slam that journalists loath … athletes slamming journalists.
As I mentioned, this guy really gets it. Another article published by Gare Joyce, a writer of the Christian Science Monitor, (of all publications), talks about the Capitals and their progressive way of handling credentialing bloggers. It seems that Caps owner, Ted Leonsis not only embraces bloggers in the press-box, but also paid $40,000 to send 4 selected bloggers to Europe to cover the Caps prospects in the World Championships last year. Mr. Peter Karmanos, if you ever need a Canes blogger to do the same, please allow me to be the first to volunteer my services!
Blogger deity and professional journalist James Mirtle weighed in again with his opinion, which is in favor of credentialing certain bloggers. It seems that Anaheim General Manager Brian Burke was recently asked about bloggers, and this is what he had to say:
With a journalist, I know they’ve had some training. I know there will be a fact checker and an editor to keep them accountable. I will know what to expect from [journalists] because if they take a bribe or report false information, they’ll get fired. With bloggers, there’s no safeguard and no guarantees.
Well, first of all let me say that I can go to some professional journalist’s work right now and show some inaccuracies in what they write, starting right at NHL.com who have writers that continually misname Justin Williams as “Jason”, and call Rod Brind’Amour as “Rob”. These are minor mistakes, but they annoy players and it seems like these mistakes would be basic, simple facts that professional writers should get correct. As far as accountability goes, can’t press credentials be taken away? It seems to me that if a blogger with credentials ever screws up, they could have the credentials taken away at anytime, which would equal being fired.
I often hear the argument that journalists need to be objective, and bloggers would have a difficult time with that. So, are all beat writers objective? What about Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News who actually was making up negative information about the Canes during the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006? Perhaps he didn’t come right out and lie, but he was far from being objective when he called the Canes “divers” and worse. Many Caniacs will remember acclaimed writer Mitch Albom who wrote for the Detroit Free Press back during the 2002 finals. Mitch quite “objectively” wrote that people from Raleigh were “hillbillies”, “knew nothing about hockey”, “didn’t deserve a hockey team” and made constant references to rednecks and Mayberry. Most bloggers that I know could only hope to be so “objective”.
I have also heard that legitimate bloggers need to use their real name, and not a nickname or the like. Love him or hate him, the blogger with the number one site for hits and traffic prides himself by being known as the “anonymous hockey blogger”. The devil who calls himself “Eklund” not only has press credentials, he’s literally embraced by the Flyers, NHL.com, XM radio, and does several radio station interviews weekly. If we don’t want to look at Eklund because of his content, how about “The Prince of Pucks” or Spector, who not only has legitimate credentials, but also has a nice paying gig with Fox Sports! I could go on and on and list professional writers who use names other than their given birth names.
As I have mentioned before, as much as some people would like to put certain rules or stipulations on bloggers or blogging, there are exceptions to every rule. It all comes down to personal choice, and what happens to work for each individual. In my opinion, there is no right or wrong way, especially when one is working on their own. As far as earning credentials, I think that should be up to each team and individual blogger. Most of the Canes Country guests who participated in the “Take Ten” interviews didn’t seem to have a problem with credentialing some bloggers, within certain guidelines. As James Mirtle pointed out, team executives will be examining this evolution more closely in the future, and one by one, bloggers who want and work for it will eventually be given more responsibilities and privileges.
There’s a big game against the Flyers tonight and we will have a pre-game posting as usual at about lunchtime. In the meantime, listen to the Cocaine version of “Go Canes!”
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About the Author: Bubba is a hockey fan/citizen journalist who has always wanted to be a sportswriter and is pursuing his dream. He also writes a Hurricanes blog for 
redblackhockey | Nov 21, 2007 | Reply
The argument isn’t that “journalists have to be objective and bloggers would have a difficult time with that”. That isn’t it at all. The argument is that journalists have to become merely spectators rather than fans. They’re there to work, and they do work. Journalists don’t swill beer and wear hockey sweaters and high-five each other. They’re not there to have fun. They’re there to work.
It would be disruptive to real journalists to have a couple of boisterous bloggers (read:fans)in the press box. That’s their place of business, and they take it seriously. You wouldn’t want someone coming into your place of work and treating your office like it’s romper room. They don’t want that either.
It’s not so much about denying bloggers media credentials. That’s a different issue. It’s about treating the press boxes as workplaces.
Oh, and seriously? Bucky Gleason? People in Buffalo hate him, and this may be splitting hairs, but he isn’t a “beat writer”. The Buffaol News has two of those. And they’re good. Gleason is a columnist. A “contributor”. There’s a difference in what’s expected of a beat writer and what’s expected of a columnist. Basically, a columnist is usually an idiot whose purpose is to stir shit up with some opinionated pieces.
As for Albom, I don’t care for him but he is a professional, and he carries himself as a professional.
I don’t think the key issue is, as you say, objectivity versus subjectivity. That’s one thing. I sincerely think that the biggest issue is the invasion of work space.
CaniacSean | Nov 21, 2007 | Reply
WOW!!!! The issue never goes away. Bubba, you know I love this site, and I do visit it everyday, but the arguments you made in the last post are flawed. The reason very few people want bloggers at the game, in the box, is because they are fans. Could you really sit in a box and not be a “homer”? Could you not cheer Tim Gleason body slamming another player? Could you not jump up and scream when Stillman gets a hat trick? I know I couldn’t, and I would take a stab in saying neither could you. In the end it is the owners that want to keep sanity in the press box, along with the paid press. It may evolve someday, but for now, I wouldn’t look for those credentials from Karmanos any time soon.
And a bone to pick… You knocked Mitch Albom by stating the things he said about the Canes, the fans, and Raleigh during the 2002 Cup. I was living in Detroit at the time, and quite frankly, found his comments hilarious! I highly doubt that he meant any harm to anyone with the words. Also, you state that he is among the legitimate media and took issue with his “facts”, something you state all media needs to be checked on, based on the need for them to be objective. Albom is not a Journalist as in “Dan Rather”. He is a story teller. He comes from a very personal standpoint, and his stories are often opinion, mixed with fact. Alboms articles are like a conversation, not a newscast. He is telling us all a story from his perspective, and wether his statements are factual or not, it doesn’t matter. He is telling us what he thinks. I read his articles all the time on the Detroit Free Press site, not because I think he will fill me with facts, but rather he will make me think, laugh, or cry. His comments were his opinion, and if you read his stuff, you know that. Don’t take what he said personally. I am know on the other side of that comment, and you know what? I heard all the whining and crying about his comments, but the first year I was down here, all I heard about was “Redneck Hockey”. Now did Albom, have all those shirts printed up and sent down here to Mayberry? No, they are proudly worn by many, and represent what is best about the fans of the Canes. I love his style, and the way he writes makes me think. But I in no way would ever think that he is telling me the story as fact, but rather as his opinion. I am proud to be on the receiving end of that comment now, and I think that if Mitch were to come to a game here today, he would have to say one thing… Canes fans are far more loyal than Wings fans any day! I love my Wings, but I really love my Canes!
Do what you do because you love it (and I know you do), and never compromise why you built this site! It is why it is the best!
Sean
Bubba | Nov 21, 2007 | Reply
Thanks guys for the feedback.
First David, I never said that the “key” issue is objectivity. That is just one of several issues that I have seen questioned. As Brian Burke brings up, I think that no accountability is a huge issue, probably more so than objectivity. I didn’t talk about “whooping it up in the pressbox” because I figure that’s a no-brainer. It goes without saying that if someone is in the pressbox, they need to act professionally or they should be asked to leave. I think that the credentialing issue is much more complex than just keeping people quiet in the press-box. My labeling of Bucky as a “beat writer” was incorrect, but my point was that there are credentialed people in the pressbox who are less than objective, whether they are columnists, beat writers, or novelists. So why not bloggers?
Sean, I apologize, I’m sure that many readers have grown tired of this “blogging debate” but it is a topic that I am interested in obviously. Perhaps I’ll write a book on the subject and stop blogging about it..*L* If I ever had the opportunity to sit in the press-box, I would have to leave my “cheering fan” side at home, I understand that. I’m sure I could do that if needed. The question is, would I want to do it all the time? Would the trade off be worth it? Those are questions that I would have to ask myself if the opportunity ever presented itself. As for Mitch, you are right he just wrote those things to tick people off and start a controversy. Some of it was pretty funny, and people here either hated it or embraced it. But again my point was that I don’t consider that to be objective writing, and if Mitch can do it and be credentialed, why can’t a blogger?
tylera1104 | Nov 21, 2007 | Reply
I dont really know much about the “rules of credentials” but me personally I dont really care about the “objective/non objective” side of this whole thing. If you wanna have credentials for the team your a fan of, and right one sided articles, so be it. I am free to choose who I want to read and who I dont want to read. Of course I see the “no high fives in the box” as appropriate b/c of the professionalism and the fact that it is a job for people, but your a fan, who would I rather read, someone whos a fan of the same team as me, or do I want to read about the canes from someone who doesnt even care about the team?? Theres two sides to this coin and I dont think eithers right or wrong. So I’ll continue to read what I want to read, and you continue to write what you want to write, and take it as far as you can……hell I dont care if you write your blog from the the team bus!
Keep it up, and I’ll keep readin!
Tyler
Bubba | Nov 21, 2007 | Reply
Thanks! I appreciate the kind words Tyler.