Matthew Cerrone from MetsBlog has written a letter to his readers, a kind of “state of the blog” if you will. For sports bloggers this should be a “must read.” There are so many interesting topics, questions, and issues touched on, it is tough to sum up in a single post, so I’ll hit the highlights and leave you to read it on your own.
The dangers of breaking news
I have no interest in pro-actively breaking stories, and I don’t typically care for rumors. Actually, I have nothing to gain and everything to lose by trying to be this type of writer, especially in the blog format…
For instance, if I break an accurate story the mainstream media will not give me credit for it directly. If they do, I will at best be described as an ‘Internet report,’ which does me no good in terms of publicity. On the other hand, if I break a false story I will be mocked and potentially lose readers. Therefore, breaking stories and trying to be ahead of the curve is a high-risk-no-reward situation for me, which is not something I enjoy taking part in…
Excellent points about something that can be way too tempting. I know in the rare cases where people with certain connections have provided me information, it has taken restraint to show restraint. While it might be fun to break the story, and if you’re right you might get a little bit of credibility, if you’re wrong regaining credibility could be near impossible. Quite frankly, most bloggers don’t have the resources or contacts to confirm information (or the training to know what to believe).
Professional Blogger or Professional Journalist
You see, I am blogging about the Mets and my experience rooting for them. If this takes on the form of a traditional journalist, so be it. But don’t fool yourselves – I am still a fan, sitting at my laptop, which I now call ‘the office,’ blogging my fanship in an online journal.
…and…
My goal this season, and spring, is to gain press credentials to a Mets game, not because I am a googly-eyed fan who wants to meet baseball players, but because I hope to write a book and need quotes to fill it…
If my large readership warrants me the ability to gain these credentials, I will be ecstatic and accept it professionally. I will still be a blogger, though…
And if I don’t get access, and continue to be shunned by the team’s media department, I will be disappointed – but will still accept it professionally. Because, in the end, I will still be a blogger…
It’s easy to get caught up in the concept of blogger as journalist. Many of us would love to get press credentials, and it seems at first glance that the best way to achieve this is as a journalist. However, do we really want the trappings that come with that? Do we want to be objective? I don’t know of any sports bloggers that didn’t start blogging as a fan first. The fan in us is what makes the voice of a blogger special, and it is what makes blogging fun.
At the same time, shouldn’t it be sufficient that one is a professional blogger? Journalists we may not be, but bloggers and blogging are a form of media. I think it is perfectly acceptable that a blogger can be a professional without the trappings of journalism.
Cerrone is stepping away for the next month or so to retool the site and will be jumping back in when spring training begins.
{ 0 comments… add one now }