Just how much of the content on the top blog sites constitutes original reporting? Not much at all, according to a spot survey done by Simon Owens at Bloggasm.
TechCrunch tops the list at 37 percent; a few of the blogs, including Daily Kos, tie for bottom with zero percent. Huffington Post checks in at 18 percent.
Of course, no one said blogs need to provide original reporting, but the survey should give pause to those who think Huffington Post and the like will pick up where shuttered and shrunken newspapers leave off.
Also, some might dispute Owens' definition of original reporting, but it would have to be stretched pretty far to improve the numbers much.
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I don't think the present situation is peculiar to journalism. Virtually no profession is paid these days on the intelligence, creativity or deductive powers of those who practice them. The money for doctors comes heavily from technological goodies. Song writers don't appear to get much credit at all for what they write, while the guy who goes out in a thong and has loud, loud electronic gear, rakes in the dough. Teachers are beginning to feel the first waves of being paid by what their students choose to regurgitate on sterile tests. Journalist have to use intellingence, logical thinking, people skills and lots of curiosity. But that is not what their wages or even job availability rests on. Bankers aren't paid according to their integrity, responsibiliity or good sense in handling other people's money. They only make the big bucks if they are willing to spend most of their time on non-existent transactions where a little actual cash is bandied about (at great reward to the bandier) until there is finally no one left to sell it to. So, possibly it is going to take more than saving the newspaper industry. Save the cheerleader - save the world. Save, or at least begin once more to respect those virtues of which me now make fun. This way you may save newspapers - save the culture.
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