via Global Neigborhoods

A couple of weeks back I wrote a piece on something I called “blogger journalism.” It was a response to people asking me to submit interview questions in advance, something I maintained companies would never do if I worked for the NY Times. Last week at DEMO, I was chatting with Dan Farber as we filed into a room. I said, “Journalism is really changing these days,” and he responded immediately, “No it isn’t. It hasn’t changed a bit.”

We both got funneled into the room and did not sit together so we never continued the chat. I have a hunch that we are both right. To Dan, the rules of journalism have not much changed. His delivery and distribution may now be online rather than on paper. His frequency may niow be several times daily, rather than weekly. But he still listens to people, asks questions and writes balanced copy. Dan is mild mannered and friendly and helpful to other journalists. But when he goes after a story he’s like a dog with a bone. It’s his story and he wants to get it first and right.

That would have been true of Dan 20 years ago as well. I think bloggers, aspiring to be journalists can be well served to emulate Dan’s standards.

But still I would argue, journalism is changing. It is changing in a great many ways. Here are a few: