December 21st, 2008
What Newspapers Can Learn From Activist Political Bloggers
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Robert Niles in OJR (via Amy Gahran) –
The news industry must become far more active, learning from online colleagues like Josh Marshall and Markos Moulitsas, who are not afraid to make the connection between news reporting and civic activism.
That’s what makes a publication vital. That’s what draws public attention. That’s what engages readers and builds circulation.
This is the future of the news industry. Let there be no doubt. Activist news organizations, ones that engage, inspire and mobilize their readership, will be the ones that survive this downturn. Passive newsrooms will die.
In the context of the United States, especially at the national level, the challenge will be to practice activist journalism while being objective and bipartisan. It’s a tightrope few, if any, activist political blogs have managed to walk, and I don’t see how news organizations will pull it off.
