A lot of blogs on the left have to decide what they really stand for, which is either helping the Democratic Party or serving as an independent voice. I don't raise money for candidates for that reason. Once you invest, then you have a stake in the campaign. This problem explodes when you cover an event like that. You have to decide to either ask questions or deal in trivia. I think the message from the readers is clear, they want more from us than trivia.
This isn't to say some of the reporting wasn't good, but I think people have to be hardier in how they approach such subjects. They have to be willing to do more than just sit and watch. There has to be a commitmewnt to be more proactive when covering an event.
The reason I bring this up is because New York will be a very different event. The protests will be large and widespread. Not just anarchist kiddies burning American flags. Cops, labor, civil and gay rights groups marching against Bush. Large, serious protests.
If the bloggers don't change how they cover events, they will miss a story, maybe the defining story of the campaign. The middle class against Bush. Because that is who will be in the streets. And the media will miss it. The reason blogs exist is not to do what the mainstream media does. When you go to the Fleet Center and sit there, and don't bring something else to the table, you're just an amateur reporter and university journalism programs can provide that.
When it comes to blogging New York, people need to figure out when the protests are and what they want to do. I think the anti-war protests will be far less interesting than the labor protests. But the overall point is that there will be protests and that people will have to be ready to deal with them. And that requires planning. No one will be holding your hand or offering you breakfasts and parties. It will require different skills than on display in Boston.
| 