Trust But Verify

BlogNashville Sessions

Here are some thoughts from each of the discussion leaders so participants can get a head start.  Take a look and join in the conversations even if you can't be there in person.  Remember, this is an unconference where the words "audience" and "panel" aren't in the plan; everyone who attends a session in person or remotely through IRC has the chance for an equal say.  For more on the "unconference" concept see Dave Winer's pre-BloggerCon III explanation.   

Most of the discussion leaders are hosting "Food For Thought" dinners Saturday night; more info here. The dinners are another nifty Dave Winer creation   The dinners are part of Dave's  BloggerCon formula -- the Palo Alto journalism dinner hosted by Jay Rosen was where I met Robert Cox, one of the organizers of BlogNashville, and a number of other people who will be in Nashville. In fact, I think it also was where some the seeds for this mid-American conference were planted.

Faith-Based Blogging --  LaShawn Barber

Military Blogging -- Robin Burk

Local Politics --  Ed Cone

Making Money -- Henry Copeland

Video Blogging -- Jay Dedman

Building Blogospheres -- Hossein Derakhshan

Citizen's Media -- Dan Gillmor

Protecting Bloggers --  Mark Glaser

Podcasting & Audioblogging -- Brendan Greeley

Committing Journalism -- Staci Kramer

Global Voices -- Rebecca MacKinnon

A Respectful Disagreement -- Dave Winer

Committing Journalism

I've been asked to lead the Journalism session at BlogNashville, a daunting task. At an unconference, where the people assembling are participants, not an audience, the session leader has little but the most vague sense of who will take part or the interests and needs of those attending.

So where to start? I'm determined to avoid journalism vs. blogging as a frame. Been there, done that. Don't want the t-shirt. Journalism and blogging -- that's a different story. Let's start with the headline for an article I wrote for OJR after BloggerCon III: "Journos and Bloggers: Can Both Survive?" The words were in the wrong order: Both can survive.

Next point: Blogging and journalism are not mutually exclusive -- they can overlap, they can be practiced as separate activities by the same person, they can occupy the same space at the same time. Journalists and bloggers are self-defined -- no licenses (in the U.S.), no pre-reqs, no qualifying course. To quote from that OJR article: "I define the former as someone who trained to be a journalist and/or someone who makes his or her living as a journalist. (Personally, I prefer to think that anyone who claims to be a journalist is also opting to adhere to generally accepted journalism ethics and standard journalistic practice. Otherwise, why call yourself a journalist?)"

With all of that in mind, my hope is that we will spend our time talking about committing journalism via blogs, podcasts, vlogs, etc. What does journalism mean in the here and now, in the near future? What does being a journalist mean? What makes journalism bloggers different from bloggers who don’t see themselves as journalists? And how can all of us do what we want to do better?

 

We can use the following bullet points from Scott Rosenberg's session at BloggerCon III as a foundation: http://blogs.salon.com/0000014/2004/11/16.html#a772

 

What journalists can learn from bloggers:

-- you can blur the line between the personal and professional without corrupting the process;

-- you can learn to improvise in real time;

-- how to have a conversation with their readers;

-- to be humble - you don't know everything.

 

Bloggers can learn from journalists:

-- the value of leg work;

-- the nature of accountability;

-- that editing is a good thing;

-- to be humble - you don't know everything.

 

To which I'll add as the beginning of another list:

Bloggers committing journalism for a living or as an avocation should:

Let's get this party started ...

Reminder: You don't have to be headed to BlogNashville to be part of the conversation.

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