Why do I blog? Why would any journalist blog?

“I write; I publish. And that used to be the end of it. Now, I write, I publish and a community of people who have special knowledge or who are deeply interested in the topic amplify, correct, modify, or extend the reportage. For a beat reporter, this is fabulous, because I now have more knowledge about my beat . . .”

That’s part of one my answers to some good questions that the wise Jay Rosen asked me as part of his preparation for a conference at Harvard University that looked at the relationship between blogging, journalism and trust. I’ve been asked similar questions over the last couple of years, in one form or another, by students, by other journalists, and by bloggers. And I’ve often prefaced any answer I gave by saying that I was till trying to work it out, to understand the form, that, as a tech reporter, this was all part of my job.

Well, I’m not a tech reporter any more and this blog is still going. It’s still going, I think, because Jay and some others who are interested in these issues forced me to think a little more deeply about why I was doing this. I can no longer use the excuse that I’m just fiddling around here so I can be a good tech reporter. I’m now doing this because it’s become part of the core communications tools, along with the phone, e-mail, and early morning breakfasts, that help me do my new job.

So Jay — who is the best kind of teacher in that he’ll seriously consider any and all ideas you have and make you feel special for having them even if he’s heard your crackpot theories fifty times —  took what I told him and put it up on his blog. Take a look at it. I’m curious about any feedback there or here.

Jay also asked me to take a look at the responses he blogged to that Harvard conference. He may post my thoughts about that but, regardless, I’d thought I’d put them up here. Here’s a lightly edited  version of what I told Jay about what I thought about the various reactions to the conference (which I did not attend).

For me, the ideas that Scott Rosenberg put forward before the conference began is probably close to my starting point for this discussion. That said: I'm glad these sorts of discussions are taking place.

I think it’s helpful to read Scott’s essay in conjunction with Jay’s pre-conference essay calling for an end to this “Bloggers vs. Journalists” debate. I think that’s a good starting point, too, for the conference’s focus.

I read the reaction by some conference participants and, as if fulfilling Scott’s prophecy, there wasn’t a whole lot there that was surprising if you’ve been following along or participating in this discussion. The conference and these post-conference thoughts will be, I think, useful to some people and for different reasons.

But I’m a Mainstream Media (MSM) reporter trying to juggle three or four daily deadline assignments plus a feature or two and there’s not a lot of stuff there that’s going to help me tell a story better or get a jump on my competition or get me out of the office any earlier. (In fact, once  you immerse yourself in the blogosphere, I guarantee you that you will be in the office longer!)

The conference and the reaction to it, it seems to me, would be great reading for newswroom managers; for strategists; and any others who, on a broader, big-picture scale are interested in this discussion.

I wonder when it will be time to put all the thought and energy that went into this conference into some more practical discussion or teaching for bloggers and journalists. For example, I've taught a Blogging 101 for Journalists at a conference for the Canadian Association of Journalists. Some of the attendees wanted to start their own blog but most wanted to know how blogs work as part of the newsgathering process. I was surprised at the hunger, if you will, by journalists to learn about this form; how bloggers do what they do; and how to tap into communities of bloggers.

Similarly, perhaps its time for someone to organize a Journalism 101 Weekend Workshop for Bloggers. Let those bloggers who want to learn a little bit more about the “walk we walk” see what it's like.

These sorts of workshops would be helpful with a 'news you can use' approach; showing best practices, tips, and self-study or further reading lists.