Explosive News photo from Shutterstock
This post stemmed from the reading of – and subsequent debate about – a post from Jo’s blog, Ephemeral Digest, this morning.
By virtue of the two different names alone, bloggers and journalists are often seen as two separate entities. However, the lines have become distinctly blurred over the years, with a number of blogs gaining readership figures and levels of respect that are on par with those of some mainstream media outlets. Similarly, a number of journalists have chosen to start their own blogs as outlets for their non-published musings. Surprisingly, though, it seems in many cases as if the two can’t work side by side, with a huge amount of online vitriol between press journalists and bloggers. The lines between the two remain blurred, but with some key differences…
What is a journalist? What is a blogger?
Ultimately, anyone who reports via any medium can be a journalist: many blogs, in fact, are online journals, going back to the word’s traditional meaning.
When you’re defining the two, it’s ownership that’s key. A journalist writes for a publication that he or she does not own, while a blogger expresses their views through their own blog. As a blog owner, a blogger has the sole responsibility for everything that is written: they decide what to write about, they check their own posts, they decide what to allow and what to avoid. Journalism is often different, with newspaper journalists having their work checked by another person before going to print, and often with legal departments cracking the whip when it comes to what can or can’t be said.
Many bloggers, though, are now writing for magazines and other publications – as journalists. I myself had a stint as editor of a food magazine, which came directly as a result of my work on Bristol Bites.
Says Hannah Clementson of life, food, fashion and video blog A New Addition, “Definition of journalist: a writer who aims at a mass audience – well, that’s a blogger then. Magazines are using more bloggers and YouTubers as they have a good audience.”
It’s clear that the lines between the two are blurred. My brother is a Journalism graduate who spent several months volunteering in Palestine after university, writing a blog about his experiences. A local journalist here in Bristol is not a fan of bloggers, but has his own blog to which he contributes sporadically. I know bloggers whose command of the English language isn’t necessarily that great, but who blog simply to share their passions and interests. Me? I’m just a Linguistics graduate with a passion for local food and drink.
I don’t think there’s any right or wrong here. If you don’t like something that either a journalist or a blogger has written, then the answer’s simple: just don’t read what they’ve written.
Do all media sources serve the same purpose?
In short: no. Take news blogs vs. newspapers, for example. Many journalists shy away from opinion and stick with facts (sadly, that doesn’t count for all publications, whose research often leaves something to be desired!) News blogs, on the other hand, will often offer opinion, inviting comments and debate from readers.
In the food blogging world, there are many different types of blog. Some solely post their own recipes (if you haven’t seen Bristol-based blogger Katie’s fantastic recipe and photography blog, A Fanatical Foodie, I suggest you take a look!), while others focus more on reviews of products and venues. Ultimately, it’s really up to the reader to decide what they want to read. Some will trust journalists more than bloggers, others will see things the opposite way. Food is a pretty subjective subject, so you’re never going to completely agree with something that a food reviewer – whether they’re a blogger or a journo – says.
What I love about blogs, though, is that you will often get a more in-depth review as there are no constraints on word count, and there is plenty of space for photos. Eating is not just about flavour: it involves all of your senses. I’m not claiming that my photos are great at all (they’re all taken on my phone!), but I include them to give more of a sense of what a place or product is all about.
Bloggers who make it big…
We bloggers hear stories of other bloggers who have made it big: they have book deals, sponsorship, newspaper columns and more, meaning that they’ve managed to turn their hobby into a career. For many, that’s the ultimate goal. But then we have resentment from mainstream journalists who have paid through the nose for professional training in the form of a degree or other journalism course, who are NUJ-affiliated and who have worked bloody hard to get to where they are – and who seem to despise the fact that bloggers can simply waltz in and enjoy high levels of success without the hard graft.
While many bloggers may not have the same journalism qualifications, though, it doesn’t mean that there’s no hard graft involved in blogging. It takes time to build up follower numbers, increase your traffic and maintain that traffic once you’ve started to grow. It takes continued effort: not just in terms of sharing regular, interesting content, but in terms of marketing your blog to the relevant people. For many – including those who don’t make money from their blogs – it’s like a full-time job in itself. And with that continued level of hard graft comes learning: learning about what you should and shouldn’t do or say, following various unwritten rules as well as established guidelines and generally learning about what makes a great blog. It’s not easy.
How do businesses see bloggers?
There’s no clear cut answer to this: it varies. Huge numbers of businesses have seen the value of working with bloggers on their campaigns, and in a variety of different ways. I’ve got good relationships with a number of Bristol businesses, who have seen value in me sharing details of their events, openings and other news on Bristol Bites – and no money or products change hands. Other companies send free products to bloggers or allow them to use their services for free in return for a write up – and this write up isn’t always going to be positive. Some choose to go down the sponsored post route, offering bloggers a financial incentive to post nice things about their business.
Says Samantha Wragg of fashion, beauty and lifestyle blog Coco Butter, “With the rise of social media and blogging as a legitimate form of writing, bloggers have begun to be held in a much higher esteem amongst companies than ever before and there is less and less of a stigma attached to these influencers.”
It’s clear that a number of businesses see bloggers as just as important as the mainstream media, with media invites, press samples, press releases and more being sent to both groups of people. Blogging is a more immediate form of promotion than the print media – unless the print publication in question has a strong website. Blogging allows hyperlinks, and an archive that is far easier to search. And with some trusted and respected blogs having tens of thousands of unique readers every single month, their power cannot be underestimated.
Other businesses, though, steer well clear of bloggers. I’ve seen a number of companies tarring all bloggers with the same brush: claiming that they’re just after freebies, that their reviews are sub-standard, that they’re not qualified to write about their chosen topic. Generalisation and assumption is always dangerous – and its the treatment of all bloggers as one homogeneous group that has given us a bad name in certain circles.
Bloggers or journalists – who to trust
Again, there’s no clear cut answer to this question. In the food and drink world, a number of “professional” critics use many of their column inches to talk about things that are completely unrelated to the meal that they’ve enjoyed. However, you’ll also find a number of blog reviews that leave you wondering why you read them, as you’re no closer to knowing any more about the business they’re reviewing than before. With some food bloggers, every single post is overwhelmingly positive – and if everything they’ve reviewed has been free of charge, you might start to get suspicious. With some journalists, however, you see Twitter conversations with venues they’ve recently reviewed that suggest that there’s a personal relationship as well as a professional one. It can also be hard to tell whether a venue’s invited a journo in for a free meal, as this is never disclosed, but definitely happens.
The restaurant reviews I trust the most are those from locals who understand the dynamic of a town or city, and where a venue sits in relation to its competitors. I’ll even use TripAdvisor – as much as it has its faults – as it can be easy to see consistent patterns of good or bad. And while many of my reviews may be positive, you’ll find some negative ones in there too – and most have at least one or two minor criticisms. Why? Because I’m not going to waste my money (or accept a free meal) at somewhere that I don’t think will be up to scratch – I’d rather spend my lunchtime or evening doing something that I enjoy. Products are a different matter: take my Zeo soft drink review, for example. These drinks were freebies, but they weren’t great, I’m not going to lie in a review – what’s the point?
The ongoing disclosure debate
Talking of freebies…if a blogger’s writing about something that they received/attended free of charge, then I’m definitely of the opinion that this fact should be disclosed. I love the way in which The Critical Couple format their disclosure statements – it makes it easy to see, at a glance, whether there was any affiliation whatsoever with the venue that they’ve reviewed:
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission has guidelines for bloggers, stating that they must disclose sponsored posts and freebies
Says Yvo Sin of New York food blog The Feisty Foodie, “When the FTC first brought out regulations regarding blogging/freebies/etc., there was mention that oblique mentions were enough (ie, “I was invited to an event” implies disclosure, though I’ve never fully felt comfortable leaving it at that)… It’s still a very tricky terrain to navigate.”
I’m not going to go into disclosure of freebies in detail – I wrote a whole post on food blogging and freebies a few years back, which can be found here. What I will say, though, is that I’m well aware that the proportion of the reviews that I do that are freebies has gone up in recent times. Why? Because I’ve left my cushy, well-paid job to become self-employed, and I simply don’t have the money to go out for meals as often. Sad times. Reviews are also only a tiny part of what Bristol Bites is all about: my main aim is to let people know what’s going on throughout Bristol’s food and drink scene at a more general level.
While I’ve spent a year editing a magazine and have had articles published in various trade magazines over the years, I’m still happy to define myself as a blogger – albeit one who now has a freelance writing career, which is all thanks to the blogging. I honestly think that the distinction between bloggers and journalists is going to continue to diminish over time, but I don’t think there’s any reason why the two can’t co-exist in a happy way. Whether you’re a journo or a blogger, just remember that not everyone will like your style of writing, and not everyone’s going to agree with you…