Bloggers vs Traditional Journalists Debate in the Philippines

In a facebook post of Bobi Tiglao, he said "I respect bloggers a lot, and I can say I got leads on columns to pursue from several bloggers, and thought their pieces were examples of good journalism. (I use an expanded definition as those who post thoughtful thoughts FB.) However, and not to disparage them in any way, they must be aware that old-school journalists have had advantages they don't have, which they should be aware of and think of how they could have such advantages:

1. We had editors to tell us when we were wrong, when we were right and when our ego was getting out of hand. My editor Raul Locsin at BusinessDay seemed to enjoy it whenever he could shout at me: "Tiglao, saan mo na naman nakuha istorya mo, may dokumento ka ba?", "O, salsal na naman istorya mo. " Fe de la Cruz our chief of reporters always asked, "Nakuha mo ba side noong kabila?" (And when I say I couldn't, she gave me the contact numbers of that "side).

Editors also have had the function of cutting down our egos, which writers have a tendency to inflate like weather balloons. Locsin always told us: "You're as good as your last by-line." And the sharp "If you're so good, why aren't you rich?"

After all, it really got to our heads when, unlike ordinary mortals, we could hobnob with the powerful, the rich and the famous and even call them by their first names -- most if not all of whom wouldn't give us the time of day the minute we're no longer journalists.

Remember a once-famous-blogger who looks like a tarsier who had become so famous during the Aquino years? She was a failure in mainstream press, and she was the laughing stock in the paper -- the only paper -- she worked for. She got her revenge of course in blogging, where she didn't have editors to knock her head, nor peers to put her in place. She was queen of her little cyber kingdom.

Ego is the biggest danger for bloggers, as there are metrics, although misleading, that are available. Note how Aquino's mouthpiece Lacierda recently bragged he had 96,000 followers. In his little mind, he can talk to 96,000 people any time. A little god of sorts in his little world.

2. We did all we can to make sure that our news stories were accurate for one simple reason: We couldn't delete it as bloggers can. It's etched in black and white in thousands of copies, and will be there forever -- i.e., in libraries, for future researchers to laugh at our foibles.

Newspaper reports are forever. Not even broadcast TV reportage is, although Youtube is giving it hope. Certainly not blogging and FB posting are. When you're no longer interested in your blog, or when you don't think it's worth paying the dollars for domain use and servers, and it is put off line, everything you've written -- vanishes into the void. Facebook isn't infallible, don't pretend that it is impossible that one day all your brilliant posts liked by thousands and thousands of Friends and followers vanished.

Of course you can hope your blog archived in Wayback machine, but why would that archives service bother at all to archive your puny blog, whenever there are probably a million blogs and websites now?

If their American investors or main owner Benjie Bitanga, gives up Rappler, all their rantings and self-righteous "Thought Leader" opinion pieces, Maria's Time-to-take-back-the-internet will go to the cyberworld's big garbage dump.

I remember a colleague Jun V., who after drinking so many beers after our usual after-work drinks, suddenly wondered if he had made a mistake in the business story he had filed, involving a number. He couldn't stand it that the waited the whole evening to get a copy of the newspapers the minute it came out of the presses. If he were a blogger, he could have deleted his article in a second.

3. Unlike most bloggers, reporting was our full-time work, our bread and butter, so we could't afford to make so many mistakes, or else we or our families go hungry. Look up the definitions of professionals and amateurs. But professionals aren't always better. Tiger Woods was the best amateur golfer in US golf history. He couldn't be the best professional though. But in every PGA tournament, amateurs always give the pros a run for their money.

Bloggers and active netizens are changing our country for the better. Note how most bloggers and netizens think Comelec chief is a crook, while mainstream press, especially a few columnists, are defending him. Why? Because they have become friends with politicians and big-business who have reached out to them in a thousand dinners and gifts throughout the years. Bautista has had coffee or a meal with every editor in mainstream newspapers. These kinds of people of course have no way of reaching out to the big numbers of netizens.

I'm happy to see that two former bloggers have transitioned very well to become newspaper columnists at par with or, even better than, veteran columnists. One though didn't.

I don't know how this could impact the issue of whether bloggers should be accredited to Malacanang or not, but I hope it would. If there is a blogger who isn't being paid for his work, but manages to go to Malacanang press briefings every single day, give him a medal. (BTW except for the ADB meetings I never got a PRESS accreditation in my journalistic career. )

Source: Facebook