With the international newspapers cutting back on their spending and on their bureaus overseas is it a wonder then that more and more people are resorting to blogs to get their information? The alternative to blogs are local media who aren’t always consistent or professional with their selection of news from either their own reporters - who aren’t always reliable - and news wires.
This gives rise to a perhaps simplistic question, but one worth pondering on: Is it the rise of blogs that caused the circulation decline or the circulation decline that causes the rise of blogs?
Monday, December 11, 2006
Washington Posted
Washington Post is closing its bureau in Jakarta, which also serves as its regional office, on Jan 1 2007, reports Unspun, the Malaysian blogger in Jakarta.
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"This gives rise to a perhaps simplistic question, but one worth pondering on: Is it the rise of blogs that caused the circulation decline or the circulation decline that causes the rise of blogs?"
ReplyDeleteme thinketh its the former, the rise of blogs as we move into a more techny world. the world is simply changing.
also, inCredible (courtesy of whatalulu) news sources simply accelerates the switch.
as per NST's frontpage today (woooo hooo so eye-opening, i never knew that!!!) today's youth are more tech savvy and hence blog savvy.
so, come to think of it, the MM rebranding was really badly thought out. they should have followed the ST's footsteps in launching STOMP...their youth blog....although monster is quite hip :D
hey rocky, go an give a thorough analysis of the NSTP-Utusan and plantations merger la, since u ex-BT, we would like to hear.
only a simpleton would come up with this sort of question because the 2 issues are totally separate entities and independent of each other.
ReplyDeletethe decline in circulation are mainly due to rising costs, advances in the telecommunication field and poor management.
the rise in blogs, on the other hand, is mainly due to out-of-work newspaper reporters!
easy as pie.
When you go to a pasar malam, there are not one..but many stalls selling vegetables. Some may get their vegetables from Cameron Highlands, some perhaps from a small farm in Selangor or some may just sell whatever they grow in their backyard.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't mean vegetables you get from Cameron's are different from the one's in your backyard. The one's in Cameron's are likely to have pesticide and chemicals tainting it while the ones grown at the backyard are as natural as it can be.
The same can be said about the debate over mainstream media vs blogs. Mainstream are tainted most of the time while blogs offer a different view, which can be quite emotional at times.
Bloggers have nothing to lose. And as for reliability, reality check..most influential blogs (I stress MOST and not all) are by influential people who know what they are talking.
But in my humble opinion, both need to co-exist as a means of check and balance. No one party can be right all the time.
We praise the positive side of blog. However , we fail to denouce the evil effect that blogs are rendering at this moment.
ReplyDeleteFor example, Jeffooi blog only offers comdemn , bashing and tic-for-tac attack. He carried too much personal abhorrance to other bloggers.
Try to argue with him by posting to his blog and you will be instantly barred.
He hates P Gunasegaram so much that he decided to allocate a permanent space on the blog for this event : http://www.jeffooi.com/2006/08/p_gunasegaram_says_his_life_is_1.php
As said in my earlier posting..most blogs are run by influential people who know what they are talking. Sadly, Jeff Ooi is not one of them.
ReplyDeleteto Anon 10:40 AM
ReplyDeletewelcome to the club...apparently Jef Fooi is very thin-skinned and cannot take criticism...wonder where he learned it from.
anyway, he's just a sh*t-stirrer...and a bad one at that!
personally, I don't know what is so great about JefFooi...the guy can't even write!
anon 2:26 AM
ReplyDeletewhich planet are u on?
again this discussion shows how backward malaysians can be.....a lot of non-malaysian bloggers are credible sources of information run by journalists, in addition to their jobs, academics, and more.
Everyone has an equal right to write or blog, thanks to the Internet!
ReplyDeleteBut not everyone will have the equal time to get read by the multitudes of those surfing the web.
That's the reality!
As for the Washington Post, it is not just about declining circulation but also about whether their bulk of readers are interested in reports from this part of the world.
Heck, maybe some out-of-work journalists who now blog for free can contribute to them.
Then again, maybe not! One doesn't need the money or the discipline, does one?
Merry Christmas!
wa.
ReplyDeleteblog rocks!
that's how people connect!
it's so cool!
and can access so many if you have broadband and from almost anywhere with WIFI
so hip!