Bloggers, Writers, Journalists, And The Mainstream Media
Everyone knows the snowboard world is tiny and there’s an over abundance of bloggers, writers, and “journalists” out there trying to grasp at their piece of the pie. Inevitably it leads to stories and ideas getting ripped off once someone puts it out there. Then again we’re a culture that has borrowed so much from skateboarding that originality could very well be dead, at least in the traditional media anyways.
Think about this where do you go right now to get your snowboard news, product/tech reviews or information, and interviews? Do you still embrace the standard media from ancient outlets or do you venture over to sites like this or Yobeat that represent the new wave of snow media? It’s an interesting topic to think about and definitely one that has been mentioned numerous times over.
So what is the difference between a blogger, writer, and journalist in the snowboarding world? Well a blogger blogs it’s as plain and simple as that. There’s no real rhyme or reason to their thought processes and mainly they’re writing about themselves or something they thought was cool so people will notice them. That’s cool it’s their thing and some are more prolific than others. Then you have the writers these are the ones that don’t want to go on and on about how awesome they or their lives are. They’re going to talk about topics with real subject matter that implore you to think all while expressing their strong opinions. Following the writers is the snowboarding journalists. A journalist is supposed to present you with just the facts in a very straight forward manner completely unbiased. Unfortunately snowboarding is such that we honestly will never have true journalists because of how this industry is nothing more than advanced high school.
So why is the mainstream media continuously failing and more people are branching out to independent sources? Just a stab in the dark but could it be a complete lack of originality? How disassociated are these people from the pulse of snowboarding?
Case in point earlier this week I posted up an interview with The Eastern Snowboard Leagues founder that had been put into motions months ago. Not four hours later the ESPN Snowboard Blog had a similar interview with the same founder. Seriously 4 hours and poof similar topics go up? But that could just be a coincidence right, then again it’s ESPN the worldwide leader in sports! But just like ESPN had a topic much like mine I’ve noticed that Transworld Business seems to miss the beat on important stories from time to time. When Burton pulled out of Sierra Snowboards which launched that shops downward spiral where were they reporting the up to the minute news? They initially missed that story until there were tons of people talking about it then suddenly they had something to say. After that they continued to beat the story to death. How about the possibility of a potential reverse camber patent war? No sooner had an interview of myself shown up on Buoloco then they had their offering. Coincidence again or lack of having a finger on the pulse? I’ll leave that up to your determination.
To quote Brenton Woo from his guest post Thoughts On Shred,” If they’re supposedly the main link between an industry and the people, then this is a huge fault. They should be spinning stories and drawing interest. Would it piss people off? Sure, but ever notice that in most industries the media isn’t the best friend of the companies? Actually, most companies are weary of their media correspondents. But the snow media is busy trying to buddy up with the brands, and that’s not in our best interest.” It’s definitely true if you look through various magazines or websites that the content is heavily influenced by their advertisers. It’s one thing to have a working relationship where you do help hype your supporters, but it’s another to allow them to have such a heavy influence it becomes a form of censorship of the news or what’s current in our culture.
If you’ve ever ventured over to the Transworld Business site you’ve undoubtedly noticed that they have what’s called Intense Debate commenting for people to leave their thoughts on a subject. Since the start of this year you’ve probably noticed this:
Definitely not the most intense debate out there right? Could it be that on top of having to monitor comments they don’t feel comfortable with letting people say what they want? Sure heated debate happens, but why would you squash it? Once again seems like another form of censorship.
In the middle of everything that’s going on whether it’s a blogger, writer, or the supposed journalists of our time do you sit? Are you a person that’s comfortable dealing with the old guard of media or do you continuously track down new sources to find what you’re looking for? And out of all the issues the media in general faces do you view as the biggest ones that need to be addressed?
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Fom a journalistic standpoint I agree that mainstream media has issues, but I think it’s up to the media to address these issues.
From my experience in the “mainstream” field, I’ve witnessed the stealing of stories and unfortunately have been a victim of it. It’s up to individual journalists to maintain integrity and adhere to journalistic principles, aka, acknowledge when an idea isn’t original or cite info properly.
As for comments, I agree shutting them down is a form of censorship, but those who comment have a responsibility not to write libelous or defamatory statements. I interned at a paper once where we had to shut some online comment sections down because people were no longer engaging in debate, it was an all-out name calling contest. Sometimes there’s such a fine line between heated debate and nonsensical banter.
Bottom line, there are good journalists out there, even some who work in mainstrain media. It doesn’t help to group all these journalists in one category because it contributes to an ill view toward those who actually work hard and this doesn’t solve any problems.
As a snowboard enthusiast, I’m able to see both sides of the media debate and it’s definitely easy to feel jaded. Big business media gets me down all the time and I tend to turn to independent publications.
The only way I can help fix the problem is through my own work. I present the mutltiple sides of an issue and leave it up to the reader to make their own decision. If I wanted to write untrue stories I would be employed at a tabloid or become a fiction writer.
This is an extensive debate, especially with the role of advertising in the media. I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. At the end of the day I know I’m doing what I love, and that’s shredding pow adn writing about snowboarding or any other issues I choose with an open mind and clear agenda.
Not rushing to anybodies defense but the day job gives me plenty of exposure into news and media operations so I thought I’d share. Point of clarification, I’m a blogger. I’m passionate about snowboarding hence why i jot down my ideas, opinions, reviews. A journalist? No way, never have been never will be that’s a craft I never took the time to learn. Good on ya for calling out the difference between the two.
Re: being slow on the Sierra front may, and I stress may, be attributed to a few factors:
1. Collection of data, story development. They may have been waiting for the story to evolve into (by their standards) tangible element before running anything.
2. Per the rationale above… advertiser concerns. Unsure if Sierra was advertising
Shutting down comment threads has become a bit too common but then again the lack of civility in most threads these days is ridiculous. No mainstream advertiser wants their message alongside a bunch of smack talk and that’s the revenue stream these guys thrive on.
I think that’s why people are migrating to independent media sources. Angry, shay, Yobeat boardistan, 7 years winters,Buoloco (which i discovered through your death of camber vid) all will keep things exposed and honest. That’s the beauty of DIY media, you don’t have to agree but rarely is there an agenda other than the passion for what they write about.
The last time I bought a snowboard magazine? Sadly, I couldn’t tell you but I will go to the independent sites all day long and feel like I know what is happening in snowboarding, in the mountains, with companies etc.
As for other sites posting parallel content? yeah you’ll get some reblogging but sometimes it does seem a bit sketchy ….
“….the ones that don’t want to go on and on about how awesome they or their lives are”
Although not your usual full-force kick-in-the-balls commenting, its a good start for any “sh”itty”boarder.com” out there.
Is there anything you aren’t angry about? You bitch about these three categories of writing…..which one are you, from your perspective? I’d guess you to be self labeled as a “writer”. Your articles are full of poor grammar and spelling and the research you do seems a bit thin. Lots of op-ed stuff here, which is great, but it looks as if many people take your words as the truth. Like your bullshit claim that reverse camber saved snowboarding. What planet are you on? I would think you’d need to conduct some interviews with a cross section of the industry to get an accurate picture. But you didn’t, you just threw your biased opinion out there as fact. Complain about others scooping your story? Who gives a fuck? Write your own shit and stop worrying about what anyone else is doing. If you have integrity and quality and pride in your work, it won’t matter what anyone else writes. Use your brain and add something to your story that nobody else can. Or write about what nobody else does, don’t be such a pussy. Censorship? Whine some more, you fucking babies. The owner of a site can do what they want, end of story. Flame wars, e fights and all the bullshit that go along with the comments may be a reason for sites to shut down comments and that’s their right, just as it’s your right to say on your site that they are catering to their advertisers and trying to keep everything even, which amounts to censorship. TWS isn’t a government organization and I believe they can censor whatever they want. I gotta say Mike Lewis writes circles around you. I respect what you’re doing, but you’re going to need to use a little more brain power as things heat up. If you’re just writing shit to cause shit, you will continue to get shit. That’s a shit sentence.
So lost here do you like or hate what I’m doing cause you’re all over the board. Maybe you should take your hand reach up your ass pull your head out then remove the shit from your eyes and you’ll realize what’s going on. Also what’s a matter too afraid to attach your name to this post?
Get a goddamn clue, no wonder people think you’re an idiot. I pulled my head out of my ass a long time ago, maybe you should heed your own advice. No worries, it’s YOU that has to live with YOU. Stay angry and hate life, have a nice day.
People can think what they want about me I don’t give a fuck in case you haven’t noticed. I’m highly doubting this cranium anal extraction of yours you seem like one of those idiots that if someone doesn’t share the same opinion as you they’re wrong. Also I love life you seem to be the one hating it right now.
Hahahahaha, awesome.
So,
Actually amongst the above comment rant there was an interesting point:
“Censorship? Whine some more, you fucking babies. The owner of a site can do what they want, end of story. Flame wars, e fights and all the bullshit that go along with the comments may be a reason for sites to shut down comments and that’s their right, just as it’s your right to say on your site that they are catering to their advertisers and trying to keep everything even, which amounts to censorship. ”
Excellent point: censorship has to do more with your constitutional rights (1st amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.)
Now, if these people shutting down comments began a campaign to limit all comments and assail your rights to free speech then it would be more censorship. However, I’d venture to say, they are not doing that. Instead they are focusing on their digital properties, which they own and are making a business oriented decision to limit comments.
BUT!
Is it a bad practice? I say yes shutting down comments is no way to build user trust. I’ll keep pointing back to Avrans blog since this is his little monster. Avran does go into his comment stream to address critics and congrats. Shayboarder does something similar and I’ve done it a few times myself. The key point is when the windows are broken the neighborhood gets trashed. Clean up the windows and graffitti, turn the lights on and the comment ghetto gets cleaned up. V. simple.
Now I’m not sure how else you could do it. perhaps force a facebook log in to register but that’s assuming everybody uses facebook.
In response to “I’m the Guy”
I venture a guess that at sometime in life most people have been told that “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all”.
As much as this is good advice (and it is good advice) there are times when being critical and swimming against the stream is the necessary thing to do. But much more often the thing to do is ask what the long term benefit of being critical is, then step back and realize that the overall value of something is NOT equal to the worst thing that can be said about it. I don’t always agree with Angry, but I place a larger value on his overall contributions and dialog than on any disagreeable opinion.
I understand where angry is coming from on this issue… the “mainstream media” is too big to be quick and too dependent on playing nice with its advertisers to tackle some more controversial topics. Thats not going to change. But I also see that where Angry faults the media for (possibly) copying his steeze, I think it’s a compliment to him that he can have a broader impact on the thoughts going into the world of snowboarding.
“But I also see that where Angry faults the media for (possibly) copying his steeze, I think it’s a compliment to him that he can have a broader impact on the thoughts going into the world of snowboarding.”
Yea what’s that saying exactly?, “the biggest compliment is someone copying you”
I really don’t get much of my boarding related information from the media these days, Most of it I get from angry, Boarding forums; and sites like easyloungin. Coming from someone who lives in an area where getting to demo boards isn’t an option you can’t just take what the media or that brand tells you, but from people that have an unbiased opinion. Most of the stuff I’ve purchased that angry has had a say in has been pretty spot on; which is why I still follow his site.
I do agree the main stream media is to buddy buddy,I read that same interview from benton woo. I thought he was completely spot on, the main stream media should do what media is supposed to do which is create controversy, to quote William Storey “it’s the newspapers duty to print the news and raise hell”
the best is when the riders you want to cover are the same ones that give u cheddar to keep the mag alive…so as long as the brands eye out the kids that deserve sponsorship and keep the older dudes on that are still on their boards then this whole conflict could be avoided non?
it all comes down to liability.
bloggers can say whatever the hell they want without any real fear of legal repercussions. a newspaper or mag has got a legal department or at least a lawyer on retainer. this is just for cases like this. if espn magazine went out and said how they feel about something as soon as it appears on the snowboarding radar, they put themselves at risk of making false claims, incorrect assumptions and possibly printing slanderous content.
they have to do their due dilligence in order to make sure they have got as many of the facts that are available or face a shitstorm that will cut out all profits. those mags/papers and websites are businesses… without their profits, they will eventually turn into a blog with no funds to provide those nice glossy pages, no money to sponsor events, vids or riders, and no capital to re-invest in snowboarding.
thats the beauty of blogs. they can say their own personal opinions on matters without worrying about pissing off the editor, the owners, the advertisers or anyone else…. just the fact that a big media giant doesn’t get first dibs on a printed story doesn’t mean they didn’t have their finger on the pulse or that they weren’t the first to have the idea or background info, just means they had to do more work to get it to their readers.
i love this and all the blogs out there on snowboarding as they all offer something… but their authors can’t go thinking they are somehow better than the “big guys” just because they don’t have to do as much work or keep as many people happy.
there is a place for all.
but tooscoops,
There is a line (fine or otherwise) between news journalism and op-ed, but the last time I checked the New York Times still has an op-ed section. There’s no law that says you can’t run ESPN as a purely op-ed broadcast, I bet 50%+ of their content is op-ed anyways (Jim Rome comes to mind, PTI, Around the Horn, etc.) it’s as opinionated as any mere “blog” out there so what’s the big deal?
bloggers are better than the big guys because we don’t have to keep people happy. That’s the point. If you’re worried more about keeping other people happy, than you are about doing your own thing and keeping yourself happy, then welcome to Sellout-ville, population: you.
indeed. maybe i didn’t make my point clear enough.. definitly happens a lot!
i agree with you pretty much 100%. the difference between the two writing mediums is who you have to keep happy.
the problem with your point is that blogging isn’t just about keeping you (or whoever is writing) happy… because how is it keeping you happy? the actual writing? i doubt it or you would keep a private journal. its the other people sharing your thoughts and commenting on them. having people along for the ride. therefore, it is about keeping other people happy to some extent.
and the comparisons between the sports broadcasters is a little off, though i can appreciate it. most blogs would be comparable to around the horn if on ATH they talked smack about nike’s shoes, bitched about the fact that reebok jerseys were’nt as good as ccm, or that umbro should get out of soccer. they complain about players and situations. rarely is it a brand issue like in snowboarding.
so yeah… i’m not trying to argue, becuase i agree… but i just feel its a little closed minded to hate on the sellouts so much. without them, none of us would be riding… and anyone who dissagrees…. you are flat out wrong. selling out is what invented the sport and has kept it alive.
its an unfortunate truth.
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