Everyone's a Journalist

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But a large part of the corporate world’s interest in social media is fear. Social media, whether it be blogging or forum posting, is probably the last example of true freedom of speech. You see a professional journalist has to play by a certain set of rules. Yes, I can remain totally independent and unbiased, but I also have to be very careful about what I say and how I say it, because if I cross that libel line, it won’t be long before someone’s lawyers come calling. A blogger on the other hand has no culpability whatsoever, and therefore can (and often does), say whatever he wants to. And even if a company could track down the identity of a libellous blogger, what would it gain by taking legal action? It’s unlikely that it would be worth any company trying to claim damages from an individual, so what would be the point?

At least with forums there is (or at least should be) a degree of moderation going on. Moderators and administrators should be able to weed out libellous content and comment and keep proceedings both legal and sociably acceptable. In fact an amateur forum can often be an invaluable resource for consumers. Whenever I buy a new car I subscribe to the relevant forum, since I know that any questions I have will be answered, while I will also try to answer any queries myself. A well run and popular forum can become a self proliferating font of knowledge, and a far greater resource than a manufacturer’s own website.

There’s also the question as to whether professional journalists and publications should fear social media. Do I think that I’ll be out of a job because millions of amateur bloggers can do what I do? No, I don't think so. Actually I think that professional online content has become more valuable as the number of blogs, fan sites and discussion forums has increased. There’s a huge amount of information on the Internet, but separating the wheat from the chaff, the good from the bad, and the well informed from the ill informed is the difficult part. I’m sure that there are thousands of blogs out there that collectively cover pretty much everything that TrustedReviews does, but do they have the credibility, the skill set and the resources that TR has? I’m sure that a consumer who buys a TV can tell you all about it and his experiences with it, but can he compare that product to countless others that he’s examined? It’s unlikely.

But despite the fact that citizen journalism has actually enhanced professional online media, I don’t think that it serves no benefit, because it clearly does. I’m a firm believer that quality will rise to the top, and even though there are millions of bloggers out there that you’ll never hear of, there will always be a handful that have what it takes to climb the slippery ladder of mass acceptance. Realistically what social media has done is blur the line between professional writers and hobbyists. So ignore that eloquent and well informed blogger today at your peril, since he may be a mainstream journalist tomorrow.

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