MY HEROES – THE CITIZEN JOURNALIST BLOGGERS
An interesting read:
As newspapers axe the folding paper version along with staff, a new breed of heroic citizen journalist is taking to the internet in a valiant attempt to fill the gap.
These are not village correspondents formerly paid a couple of pence a line to fill columns with turgid district news.
They’re a darn sight more professional than that.
I don't always agree with what they say – and a couple have substantial libel payouts pending – but you've got to admire their chutzpah and determination to reveal issues that some people would prefer to remain hidden.
To Read More:
Rutland’s Martin Brookes is a read I never miss. A forthright man who says what he thinks.
His Martin Brookes Blogspot landed him in trouble with those-who-would-rather-not-be-
Finding him not guilty, District Judge John Temperley told him: “Freedom of expression is an essential function of a democratic society. It is applicable also to those who offend and shock.”
Martin Brookes’ Oakham blog
Former Oakham town councillor Martin takes his camera along to council meetings so the public get a very good idea of the sort of monotony reporters have to deal with in endless dreary committees.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone is enamoured with Martin and his blog but it’s not just a council-bashing diatribe. Martin and his camera are out and about most days recording the local street scene and Oakham events.
In years to come his blog will have a valuable record of local life in pictures.
NEWSPAPERS NEED TO FOLLOW UP THESE STORIES
There are numerous stories which could be followed-up by local newspapers in these blogs and it’s a shame that issues already researched in some detail are largely ignored.
OK, we don’t have the sort of newspaper staffs we had years ago. We may not even have our own editor. But we should make the time to investigate what is being handed to us on a plate.
Not all of it will check out, but some of it will and anyone who dismisses bloggers as bonkers individuals with too much time on their hands is doing them a major disservice.
We didn’t become journalists to fill our newspapers/websites with drivel so let’s get stuck in and work with bloggers like these who have excellent local knowledge and the tenacity and drive to take the lid off issues which affect everyone.
