November 2, 2010
Rupert Murdoch was in his element when he made his inaugural Baroness Thatcher lecture in London recently. And though he acknowledged the role bloggers can play in the media world he also underlined that they can't be as effective as professional journalists. He said, "Bloggers can have a social role - but that role is very different to that of the professional seeking to uncover facts, however uncomfortable."
Rupert Murdoch It is strange that the media mogul was so dismissive about bloggers. This is because a lot of good content these days are being created by bloggers. And sometimes professional journalists take off from where the bloggers stop.
Incidentally, his views are shared by several other media magnates who have been trying to understand and classify what is the role bloggers play. They refuse to accept the fact that bloggers and professional journalists can share a symbiotic relationship rather than letting the former remain on the fringes of the media world.
Could this flippant attitude stem from the belief that blogs can't become a good revenue stream for media houses? There are several bloggers who emerge as challengers to this perception, but their numbers are still far and between. And there are several journalists out there, who have taken to blogging to be able to write on topics their professional capacities might not permit them to indulge in.
Most bloggers might write on topics that professional journalists are either not keen to pursue or are unaware about. The blogosphere is replete with examples of good articles initiated by bloggers and which were later picked up newsrooms the world over. But few bloggers have managed to create a business model from their content directly. This, however, does not mean that it can't be done.
But to be able to do this, bloggers will need the assistance of the media houses, who have expertise in this area. This is why it is possible for the bloggers and media companies to share a symbiotic relationship. However, the latter needs to shed its inhibitions and resistance to blogging as a business model.
Are they willing to do this, however? Murdoch does not seem to be interested. Is there any other media company which is willing to pick up the gauntlet?
- Vinita Bhatia
Head-NewsCollection Room
NewsCollective
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