The Thing About Some Bloggers…
I’ve been a “blogger” - which in my opinion is nothing but a new word for writer - since 2004. I got into blogging after reading other blogs around the time when user generated content started moving into the mainstream. Since then, I’ve watched blogs evolve, for the good and for the bad. I like the fact that bloggers are garnering more respect and that some people actually make a living doing this. However, there is one thing more than any other about bloggers that irks me: the fact that some refer to themselves as “journalists.”
Before any bloggers attack, let me just say that yes, I believe some bloggers are journalists. Those are the people who have a journalism background - whether it came from high school or college or previously/currently work in the journalism field. They understand the rules and process of journalism. That can’t be said for bloggers who are nothing close to being journalists, much less decent writers who don’t understand the rules of grammar and punctuation. To me, it’s a disgrace for some bloggers to even call themselves journalists. I don’t want to call any names out, but I’m sure a few of you can easily think of bloggers who are barely writers that call themselves journalists.
I’m a pretty good writer, yet I would never deign to call myself a journalist. I discuss news stories and provide commentary about subjects of interest, but I’m not a reporter or journalist by any means. It concerns me when some bloggers carelessly toss out the word “journalist” when referring to themselves when they clearly are nowhere close to being such a thing. It concerns me when these so called “journalists” are praised when bloggers - who may or may not be journalists - with far more writing ability aren’t getting their proper due. It concerns me that a new generation thinks that writing like this “IZ OK N A BLOG OR NE THING ELSE THEY WRITE.” It’s not okay. It’s annoying. And if you are a blogger who writes like that and sprinkle your posts with a bunch of “LOLs” or other IM shorthand, then you most definitely aren’t a journalist. You are simply a “blogger”…and one who needs to learn how to write properly.