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Why I am a blogger and not a journalist...

Some months ago Salam Pax wrote this:

"My life has taken a sharp turn towards the surreal.
it starts with this [The Baghdad Blog].
did you see the promo, it is so scary it freaked me out the first time I saw it. do turn up the volume, the track is by the Aphex Twin and when Intro contacted Warp records they said that they can choose any track they want by the Aphex Twin and it's for free. Warp even has the promo linked from its site.
Then there is the today show on BBC Radio 4 later followed by a web chat.
a radio interview with Late Night Live in *australia*.
A daily telegraph piece (needs registration).
A web page on the Guardian site.
A million other interviews by people who are nice enough to bring me books as presents.

Salam Pax has developed a life of his own, he is not me anymore. and I miss baghdad like hell.
:: salam 2:42 PM [+] :: "

Bloggers are individuals, ready to make mistakes, and to criticize themselves in their daily magazine. They tell their worries, their concerns, their ideas.
People following the stories will read the before and the after. Will smile or not.
Will put things into a perspective.

A journalist is not an individual, but a mediator. He tries to analyze and to give a point of view that is in between parties, that gives a neutral point of view.
Or at least that is what they should do.

More and more the interviews become shorter, reportages lighter. because people like it. And there is no money to pay for it.

A journalist will never dare to refer to himself like Salam Pax did here.
Or not agree with what his boss did to him. Or doubt his decisions. Since it his credibility that stands or falls.
A blogger does

Thats why I am a blogger and not a journalist.

(This is also some of the journalists of indymedia should open an blog and not to pretend to be a journalist)

Posted on March 30, 2004
in Limit of my knowledge

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