If you want to read about the Yankees spring training and stuff, this post is not for you. I'll let you know that in advance. This post was brought on by a series of interesting events that changed the way I look at blogging. As you know, I am a blogger. I do not write for a newspaper, so I am not a journalist.
When you want news, where do you go? Do you go to twitter, the internet, or a newspaper? Anything else? Personally, my first source is twitter. If something happens it will almost 100% likely be tweeted first. If not, I'd likely see it here on PA (if it has to do with baseball) or another internet site. A newspapers internet site? Unlikely.
Where do newspapers fit in? Journalists jobs have become less and less important since the blogosphere took shape. Newsday was forced into a situation where they had to make blog readers pay for material. Many great writers were forced into retirement or unemployment. Many have become frustrated with the lack of opinion allowed by bosses. Journalists have a sole purpose now: report the news.
When was the last time you went to Newsdays website without being tipped onto an article by twitter, or PA, or another internet resource? When was the last time you woke up and said "I wonder what happened in the sports word last night, let me check out the NY Post for their top notch opinions."? Can't remember the last time that happened to me.
The newspaper industry has been reduced to a shriveled up group of writers that now have to report the news to keep their jobs. Get a scoop, great. Get to the scoop late, you're in trouble. Opinions don't matter, that's what blogs are for. Have an opinion? Tweet it! Get a personal blog! The readers are just interested in facts, right? Wrong.
This is why I became a blogger. I want some sane voices heard. I want to be able to have a discussion with fellow Yankees fans. Do journalists get to interact with their readers? Not exactly. That's what twitter is for, an independent website. I really do respect journalists these days and their opinions, but they aren't exactly allowed to have them anymore, which is depressing and just plain wrong.
Why the rant? Maybe it's because I have nothing to do on a Sunday night. More likely it's because I want to know journalists opinions. They're the experts. We are the fans. Blogs are great, keep reading them. I will never leave a blog without being kicked out. How about one newspaper steps up and gets a fan blog going, like PA? How about the NY Times hires a group of fans to write a blog for them? That'll be the day that saves the newspaper industry. Keep reading folks, soon this will be the only way to get opinions and news.