Monday, June 1, 2009

media all in a huff about huffington

http://www.newyorker.com/images/2008/03/31/p233/080331_r17224_p233.jpg

The newhouse school at syracuse university( a.ka. my home sweet freezing cold college home) is bestowing Arianna Huffington with a Fred Dressler Lifetime Achievement Award. Simon Dumenco at adage and media critics alike are non too pleased.

Simon Dumenco is horrified that a journalism school is honoring a women who doesn't pay many of the bloggers on Huffington Post. According to him, " the school -- which exists to train journalists -- should know better than to honor a woman who thinks journalists should work for free!"

Perhaps this is because I am a blogger and not a journalist, but I think that the huffington post exists for a reason. The fact that the bloggers on the site are willing to work for free doesn't devalue journalism, it shows that there are stories and opinions that need to be stated without worrying about the bottom line.

Political and news blog now break stories before traditional media gets to them. They also allow journalists to express opinions that may not be a reflection of the institution they work for. Blogger journalism represents the best and worst of free speech. But either way, the blogs are leading our consumption of news.

Rewarding Arriana Huffington is more about recognition of this emerging media and how it's changing our lives. Of course this is all, in one blogger's opinion.

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