By MICHELLE D. ANDERSON
The UNITY News Online
 
It’s not often reporters see their stories printed on the back of a T-shirt. 

But for Howard Witt, the southwest bureau chief of the Chicago Tribune, this was his reality when protesters during a civil rights protest wore “Free the Jena Six” T-shirts featuring his story printed on the back. Witt was one of two panelists at an “Activism & Blogging” breakfast discussion on Thursday, which explained how journalists can use blogs to their advantage.

In May 2007, Witt wrote the first national story about the Jena Six, a group of Louisiana teenagers involved in a series of racially charged incidents at their school. The teens’ troubles ignited discussion on blogs and e-mail list servs. Witt wrote a later story in September 2007 discussing how blogs drove the Sept. 20 Jena Six protest.

During the panel, Witt said he focused on making sure the stories he wrote gained exposure in the paper and on Chicago Tribune website. Now he’s concentrating on writing his stories quickly and having them blasted all over the blogosphere. 

However, Witt’s interest in blogs is not a reflection of how all journalists feel. While some journalists like Witt maintain an e-mail list of bloggers to whom they can send their work, other journalists think of bloggers as narcissists rambling in front of their computer screens.

Some journalists have a “superiority complex” about their craft and view themselves as the gatekeepers of reporting information and amplifying a story, according to Witt. Therefore, they often times miss out on story ideas available on blogs, and the opportunity to have their stories posted on multiple sites, guaranteeing a wider readership. 

The panelists outlined some possible reasons for some journalists’ hesitance to acknowledge bloggers.

Christopher Barger, director of global communications technology of General Motors, said that readers don’t always draw a distinction between the work of professionally trained journalists and bloggers. 

There’s also the issue of plagiarism. Witt noted that often bloggers fail to attribute his work by copying and pasting his stories to their site without stating where the information originated. 

Other times, Witt has seen bloggers misinterpret his work altogether. When that happens, he usually sends them an e-mail to try and clear things up. But finding an appropriate way to respond to bloggers can be tricky for some reporters. Witt recommends journalists learning how to deal with scrutiny in a way that doesn’t compromise their integrity. For example, he warned reporters against responding to criticism anonymously. “If you get revealed, you might up looking like an idiot.”

topic: UNITY Convention

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