Banter on Blogs

I'm back from spring break and feeling rather refreshed. Although I was sick with the flu for most of it, I did spend some time at my local newspaper, The Monroe County Appeal. I wrote a few stories and visited Paris as part of my Community Newspaper class. It was definitely an interesting experience, and it opened my eyes to a new medium of journalism. Let's just say I think I'll be very happy sticking with broadcast. Check out the website to view my stories on senior meals and a local winery. 

Now that I am on the downhill slope of the semester, I am also starting to get exponentially busier. Greek Week preparation is in full swing (literally...I'm planning a charity golf tournament!) So B2 shifts will not be coming until after that is over. BUT, in the meantime I will be continuing my work in the class and in Jefferson City at the State Capitol. 

Speaking of, I came across an older blog post of a fellow capitol reporter, Steve Walsh. Steve has always been a great help to me while I was beginning my political reporting endeavors so I keep up with his work. His posts talks about the importance of asking clear questions, and understanding (often sneaky) language that you often get in responses from press secretaries and spokespersons. However, what I found most interesting were the comments after the blog post.

There was a lot of dialogue between Steve and a reader about the content of his post. Many news outlets using the web for stories and blogs also have room for forums and commentary and this is a prime example of how it really connects readers and viewers with the reporter. I think it's a great thing, because it give us an opportunity to further clear up any muddy information. At the same time, I wonder if this can ever get out of control. Is there someone monitoring what comments can actually show up? Do reporters have to get approval from their editor or news director before they can post responses? In a techno age such as this, I feel we may all face a Negative Nancy from time to time. But I think we can all learn to stay professional and roll with the punches, much like Steve demonstrated in this dialog.