Blogs Really Aren't That Bad

Saying that blogs are self-perpetuating, parasitic news organisms is a generalization. It is like saying that magazines only provide fashion tips and celebrity news. Yes, the majority of the blogs may fall into this category. However, there are plenty of exceptions.

According to ebizmba.com some of the top viewed blogs include sites like the Huffington Post, The Business Insider, Gizmodo, and endgadget which are all quite reputable. Although some of these sights might be parasitic, in terms of using articles from sources like the Associated Press, the mainstream media often uses pieces from similar sources. The Huffington Post itself has a proper editor hierarchy complete with its own reporters, which suggests that facts will be checked and opinions will be minimized before a piece even goes to the web. This process is not much different from that which a traditional news organization uses. Traditional media can often be just as biased as blogs: take coverage of the same events by organizations on opposite sides of the political spectrum (CNN and Fox) and they will differ almost as much as two blogs might.

Compared to traditional news sources blogs can at times be inaccurate, but their convenience and sheer number make up for what they lack. By becoming easier to read and access, blogs give people more opportunity to inform themselves at no cost.

Blogs just amplify the difference between the informed and the misinformed. Those who are interested in getting a variety of opinions will search out various websites and benefit from the large number of choices. On the other hand, those that choose to only read blogs that confirm their beliefs become more and more misinformed.Therefore, blogs can be helpful to people only if they are willing to search for the truth. 

Of course there is another benefit to having blogs. Blogs allow more people than ever before to express their opinions freely to people around the world, even if no one reads their posts. By putting in effort to write their own blog posts, people are able to better formulate their own thoughts and opinions, just as we are doing now.

Multimedia References

Fishman, Loren. "Misinformed Cartoons and Comics." Misinformed Cartoons and Comics. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2013.

"Public Relations." : Traditional Media Vs New Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2013.