A More4 News feature on how citizen journalism is changing the news scene, in light of recent events, namely the G20 protests and the Damian McBride affair.
Charlie Beckett, director of POLIS, is interviewed: The importance is connecting the citizen with the journalist, he says. “(…)These stories would never have the impact if they had just stayed on the blogosphere…”
A call by the More4News team for Twitterers to meet outside the office to participate in the feature didn’t bear fruit, however.
Radio 4 Today takes a look at politics and blogging. Yesterday saw the announcement of the Orwell Prize longlists, including its new award for bloggers.
“The power of the internet to shape politics – from Obama’s campaign to online petitions – is widely recognised. But blogging has now become an intrinsic part of the political process,” it is reported on the Today programme’s site.
So, would Orwell have been a blogger? Charlie Beckett, director of Polis, says yes.
“He was a contrarian, he loved a row and he didn’t mind people having a go at him,” he says.
“George Orwell would have blogged. Fact.”
Follow this link for a discussion with director of the prize, Jean Seaton, and longlisted blogger Hopi Sen, of the ‘from the Backroom’ blog, on whether blogging ‘has become as respected as novel writing or journalism.’