The Tallahassee Democrat and other newspapers are risking Jayson Blair-like scandals as they publish blogs and news stories by "citizen journalists" who haven't been properly vetted, Mother Jones magazine says. A story of a community blogger shilling for Wal-Mart without disclosing her financial ties to the controversial retailer.
Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.
Yup. This is Gannett's way of "increasing" local content on the cheap, but Tallahassee has a pretty sophisticated readership. Since leaving the paper a year ago, I have yet to hear any Joe or Jane Reader express excitement or even interest in these blogs. Seems to me that the risk far outweighs the benefit.
ReplyDelete