Influence of local blogs
As noted by Ed and Poynter, the L.A. Times drops in on hyperlocal citizen political blogs. These muckraking bloggers say they have stepped in to fill the government watchdog vacuum. Some are anonymous, others are scurrilous and, on occasion, possibly libelous. And to local politicians, most are a royal pain in the tuchis.
Yes, yes, and yes. But the point of the article: It may only be a matter of time before bloggers start to have a major influence in local politics and policymaking.
It's the sort of line that we journalists stick in stories to let readers know why they might care. (Ignore those namby-pamby, wide-open-to-interpretation qualifiers such as "may," "matter of time," and "start to have." We use those to give ourselves an out when we aren't sure about something but want to sound authoritative.)
The Times story described a blogosphere that sounds like ours -- you don't need to echo the part about the local press. Personally, I get the sense that local policy makers see citizen muckraking bloggers as an irritant, but not as a significant influence. (Muckraking and irritated public officials go hand in hand so that reaction is hardly surprising.)
It would be interesting to hear our blogging elected officials -- Sandy Carmany, Skip Alston, Dianne Bellamy-Small and Jeff Thigpen, and former blogger Tom Phillips -- address whether bloggers have influenced local politics and policymaking and when. If they don't now, is it truly just a matter of time before they will? How long?
Update: I tried to e-mail e-mailed the elected officials above inviting them to weigh in. That was an experience. From Skip's blog, I e-mailed him directly. Worked fine. From Dianne's blog, the e-mail went to Skip. Sandy's blog didn't have an e-mail address listed. I went to the city's official site and e-mailed her and Dianne and got a message from a woman in the city offices -- not Dianne or Sandy -- saying she was out of the office until Thursday. I couldn't find an e-mail option on Jeff's blog either and e-mailed him, presumably successfully, from the official Register of Deeds' site.
I'm starting to see Paul Gibson's point about just calling him.
Comments (5)
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I can name two instances right off the top of my head when local bloggers have influenced local politricksters.
1. When bloggers rallied from the left and the right about the city's decision to give Walmart 300 grand to build their new store at Cone & US29 and received a record number of telephone calls and e-mails forcing them to reverse their decision.
2. I managed to get city officials to come to my home and clean up after a wreck in front of my house after Sandy Carmany read my blog complaining about the environmental mess they had left behind.
I'm sure other local bloggers can add to this list and any local politician who claims to ignore the local blogosphere which collectively has a larger audience than the N&R or any other local media outlet is either a fool, a liar or both.
And they need to remember that when I blog about Greensboro and Guilford County my complaints are being read by over 1,000,000 readers a year who just happen to have an average income of over 60 grand a year and are generally under 40 years old, ie: the type of folks Greensboro and every other city in America is hoping to attract.
Posted on July 25, 2007 8:18 AM
"Muckracking bloggers"? Now JR, coming from you (after all talk of the "citizen journalism"), that's just sour grapes.
I know. You don't think it. You just linked it. And expounded on it. With not-so-subtle put-downs.
Have your cake and eat it too;) Nice.
Nice response, Billy.
I know people read my (not-necessarily-political-although-I-do-have-very-strong-opinions-about-one-perpetural-Presidentital-candidate) blog. I can see it in Randolph Hospital's current marketing schemes and public statements . . . you know, JR, the stuff you (and the CT) do print . . . the stuff that generates your advertising income.
The "legacy" stuff is just killing me. In fact, I'm working on a post about it.
Posted on July 25, 2007 9:42 PM
These muckraking bloggers say they have stepped in to fill the government watchdog vacuum. Some are anonymous, others are scurrilous and, on occasion, possibly libelous. And to local politicians, most are a royal pain in the tuchis.* LA Gossip Blog
Sounds like Ed's little blog except most politicians sorted breeze though the institution to make sure the inmates are secure.
Yes, yes, and yes. But the point of the article: It may only be a matter of time before bloggers start to have a major influence in local politics and policymaking.* JR
Naw! Not with a police state reading your comments
and making sure your micro-chip battery is charge.
Posted on July 26, 2007 12:13 AM
Hey John! You got me! I would've responded earlier but my wife had a baby boy named Aiden Thomas Thigpen a couple of hours after your blog post on the 24th. I have been busy...haha.
I will be sending you a courtesy picture of young Aiden with his sister Elle.
Several points. First, procedural-- you can go into the About Me profile space on my current blog and contact me directly by email. I am creating a new blog that will be out in the next several weeks that will have that option in a more prominent site. In addition, when any comment is made on my blog the comment goes into my email and I try to respond quickly. I'm also going through the county website to make sure the email option is more prominent because your email went into our general box. It got forwarded to me. County email: jthigpe@co.guilford.nc.us reaches me on my blackberry and I respond quickly.
I have used my blog as an additional way to connect with the public. With much respect for the News and Record and others, I like the ability to expound, clarify, or communicate directly to the public without having to depend on traditional media sources. There aren't many stories about the Register of Deeds.
Last year, I researched blogs for public officials and have them posted on my website. I am disappointed that many aren't kept updated with current information.
I see Paul Gibson's point on phone calls and I'm not opposed to getting those either. My cell is ph. 451-5300. With respect to that comment, a phone medium can be a conversation in a very limited context. Two-way. As a public official talking to the media, you all do buy ink by the barrels and if you choose to write about it--I'm depending on you to interpret my comments to thousands of people.
Now I like you John and your columns, but a blog gives me an additional tool to say that without depending on you to print it in the paper to reach my constituents.
I would need some time to present them (because I'm with child and all the next few days) but I've helped folks with Deeds-related issues and communicated some issues to the public from County government that do not get noticed broadly.
Bloggers have to be evaluated on their own merits... as do public officials and columnists. I find the interaction refreshing and hope to continue with it.
Posted on July 26, 2007 3:31 PM
Hey John! You got me! I would've responded earlier but my wife had a baby boy named Aiden Thomas Thigpen a couple of hours after your blog post on the 24th. I have been busy...haha.
I will be sending you a courtesy picture of young Aiden with his sister Elle.
Several points. First, procedural-- you can go into the About Me profile space on my current blog and contact me directly by email. I am creating a new blog that will be out in the next several weeks that will have that option in a more prominent site. In addition, when any comment is made on my blog the comment goes into my email and I try to respond quickly. I'm also going through the county website to make sure the email option is more prominent because your email went into our general box. It got forwarded to me. County email: jthigpe@co.guilford.nc.us reaches me on my blackberry and I respond quickly.
I have used my blog as an additional way to connect with the public. With much respect for the News and Record and others, I like the ability to expound, clarify, or communicate directly to the public without having to depend on traditional media sources. There aren't many stories about the Register of Deeds.
Last year, I researched blogs for public officials and have them posted on my website. I am disappointed that many aren't kept updated with current information.
I see Paul Gibson's point on phone calls and I'm not opposed to getting those either. My cell is ph. 451-5300. With respect to that comment, a phone medium can be a conversation in a very limited context. Two-way. As a public official talking to the media, you all do buy ink by the barrels and if you choose to write about it--I'm depending on you to interpret my comments to thousands of people.
Now I like you John and your columns, but a blog gives me an additional tool to say that without depending on you to print it in the paper to reach my constituents.
I would need some time to present them (because I'm with child and all the next few days) but I've helped folks with Deeds-related issues and communicated some issues to the public from County government that do not get noticed broadly.
Bloggers have to be evaluated on their own merits... as do public officials and columnists. I find the interaction refreshing and hope to continue with it.
Posted on July 26, 2007 3:32 PM