Howard Kurtz on Edwards

Washington Post: A Candidate's Not-So-Candid Camera?

Howard Kurtz has a good article on the role of bloggers and new media in the Edwards campaign:

Chuck Olsen, a Minnesota freelancer paid for his work by Rocketboom and the campaign, writes on his blog: "For what it's worth I'm convinced Edwards is a passionate, smart, authentic person who would make a great president."

That's true. But at least one person has called me a "paid shill," which made me giggle. Better a paid shill than just a shill, I suppose. That critic has a good point: Can you believe what I say if I'm getting paid? Can you trust bloggers who get free rides on a private jet? I think you can, if you already trusted the blogger, and take their work in the proper context. That context is not "objective journalism." It's simply access + perspective.

In my film Blogumentary, I show how I was the first blogger granted a press pass at the Minnesota Democratic convention. I gained access to a small press conference with none other than Sen. John Edwards. Great! However, I was intimidated and couldn't think of any good questions in those few fast minutes. I gained access, but didn't make the most of it.

In spite of all the hype around us so-called citizen journalists, the truth is it's easy for us to get swept up in our own access without necessarily providing real substance or critique. Real journalists do ask hard-hitting questions. We can too, of course, but we're still getting our feet wet. Once we have access, I think the best thing we offer is our own perspective. When John Edwards is making a speech in front of every major news company, what good are we duplicating that experience? None. So we talk to the staff, talk to each other, talk to people in the crowd. We document the spectacle of media coverage, the gears and cogs in a vast media machine. We wander down the block and find a church group stripping a moldy house down to the studs. "Don't forget about us when the cameras are gone," they say.

We tape ourselves drinking whiskey, eating Chinese food and watching Clerks II.

Is that valuable? Is that interesting? Yes! At least to a few of you. Nevertheless, I think we need to get beyond that, and find a role that makes the most of our newfound access without duplicating mainstream media.

SEE ALSO:
USA Today's Chuck Raasch criticizes lack of financial disclosure
More disclosure discussion including Andrew Baron's take

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