Geert Lovink observes, "There is a quest for truth in blogging. But it is truth with a question mark." In relation to contemporary convergence culture, how are traditional conceptions of journalism challenged by the practice of blogging?
New Media scholars often polarize their contentions on the threat facing traditional media by the increasing popularity and pervasiveness of the blogosphere. Joe Pollack, for instance, states that blogs contain “ungrammatical, misspelled, virulent opinions of someone […] whose maturity is not existent” (2005: 25). In contrast, Devo argues that bloggers are “coming to play a role […] comparable to that of traditional journalists” (2007: 96). Implicit in both arguments is a generalization of the current multiple blog genres and the definition of journalism in relation to aspects of “credibility, accuracy and transparency” (Brown, 2005: 42).
The rise of tabloid journalism in today’s media environment, however, would be a case against the latter idealization of the concepts of journalism. This essay shall hence first outline contemporary media practices of sensationalism. By grounding that a majority of news coverage is entertainment, this essay shall thus explore the aspects of “traditional” coverage of celebrity culture in relation to Lovink’s contention of the ‘nihilistic moment’ and the scarcity of attention in contemporary society. In this light, this essay can construct a case and point of how the platform of blogging enables gossip blogs to significantly challenge traditional forms of entertainment news.
