Correction appended
In the world of Internet blogging, where personal entries go
uncensored and a great deal of information is shared, an increasing
number of journalists and self-proclaimed reporters have jumped on
the blogging bandwagon, reporting news in a variety of different
locations. But blogging has sparked debate among scholars,
journalists and experts, as the distinction between a journalist
blogger and citizen blogger is blurred and the credibility of blogs
is questioned. Dinesh Wagle, a journalist from Nepal who has been
blogging on behalf of the democratic supporters oppressed by the
Nepalese government, will discuss these issues as well as the
importance of news blogs in a talk today. The event will take place
in Bunche 10383 at 3 p.m. Wagle used to write blogs about cultural
events in Nepal, but shifted his focus to political issues after
King Gyanendra seized absolute power of the country in February
2005. In light of the recent worsening of the crisis in Nepal,
where Gyanendra has continued to increase security forces against
protestors who demand the restoration of democracy, Wagle has come
to UCLA to speak about the difficulties of being a reporter in a
nation where journalists continue to face threats from their own
government. Individuals have long been able to make posts on the
Internet, using formats such as online journals, message boards and
personal Web sites. Blogs in journalism have grown in popularity in
recent years, both as a new tool for traditional media outlets like
newspapers and magazines and for ordinary citizens who want to
report on current events. This technology can provide an outlet to
people who want to write about news events but live under a
government where suppression of dissenting voices is commonplace.
And though some have questioned the credibility of the information
included in these blogs, AsiaMedia managing editor Angilee Shah
feels differently. She said credibility is not an issue when it
comes to journalists in situations similar to Wagle’s, since
those writers are engaged in the event and are able to exercise the
freedom that blogging offers. AsiaMedia, which is hosting
today’s event, is a daily electronic publication that
delivers news about all aspects of media in Asia. Wagle has written
for AsiaMedia, and Shah said his reporting has “given so much
in terms of news when no one else can do it,” with regard to
representing the political perspective that has been suppressed in
Nepal. And for journalists in situations similar to Wagle’s,
some scholars agree that blogging bestows benefits where
traditional news coverage is restricted. “Technology can
definitely override government censorship to some level,”
said UCLA communications Professor Thomas Plate. Tim Groeling,
another UCLA communications professor, said while some governments
have the ability to censor Internet sites by scanning for keywords
they have banned from usage, online writers have been able to get
around censors. “Blogs make it easier for journalists to
circumvent restriction on the front end and it’s much easier
to get out the information (via blogs) if they lived in a place
where there exists an authoritarian government,” Groeling
said. For some experts, credibility is not the most pressing
question regarding journalists’ utilization of blogs to avoid
government censorship. But Plate said he is concerned about
journalists who write news pieces in areas where the government
does not suppress the news media, such as the United States. These
writers fuel debate over the credibility of blogs and the biases
their information may contain. “I’ve never used blogs
because I have a fundamental problem with them ““ I’m
not sure they’re real journalism,” Plate said.
“They are not rigorously fact-checked and reviewed by editors
of established, credible publications,” Plate said. But
Groeling does not agree with these claims, and said blogs may be
more focused on important issues, while typical journalists cover
several topics. “Very seldom are journalists experts of what
they write about. One day they write about the war, the next about
a lost dog. … Bloggers may actually have more credibility because
they are specialists in what they write about,” Groeling
said.