BLACKFIVE: Ren-Faire Final Day: The New Military Journalism

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Ren-Faire Final Day: The New Military Journalism

Posted By Laughing_Wolf • [February 20, 2009]

Noah Sachtman, editor, "Danger Room" blog, WIred.com

Intro, paen to the audience. Ironic "bass" playing (vs. base pron), because when others doing journalism, I was playin "bass" In blogging world, playing rock and roll has been helpful. How he got started, how editor told him blogging was lame, so he started blog called Defense Tech, got lot of positive feedback right away. Sold off blog, few years ago got the chance to start blog over again at Wired, but better, two years ago yesterday.

Lesson number one from Rock: No one is ever going to do anything for you, so you got to learn to do it yourself. Blogging is kind of like that too. No external copy editors, art, etc.; pain, more work; but, on other hand, what you get is yours (good or bad).

Lesson number two from Rock: While you are doing everything yourself, you are not totally alone. When on the road, you end up hooking up with other bands, work together and put together a good tour. Journalism has been very one against all. Blogging has been opposite, with much more cooperation, and with even scoops by another good for you. Examples.

Lesson number three from Rock: Lead singer story, nice thing about this new medium thing is that we can still have some fun. More fun, more connection with audience, better it is for all. Example, Blackwater story.

Does this mean end of traditional journalism? No. Time tested rules of journalism count more in blogging than before. People have limited time, don't have time to find buried lede, read boring headline, etc. Discussion. Temptation to get sucked into double-speak of professional jargon. Military has it, lawyers, accountants, etc. Don't let them get away with it.

Q: Have you trained your readers when to show up, or did you follow what they do? Important to follow readers.

Q: So much change going on in print industry, should emulate blogs more, use to upgrade media blogs? Yes, think that more cooperative model should be pursued. Lot of healthy ways that magazines and such can share materials for different audiences.

Q: How much time do you spend promoting your own blog, strategies, etc.? First six months, please pay attention to me. Now, a lot less so about it. If something a specific person might be interested in, will e-mail them directly. Should do a general once a week, but bad about it.

Q: Our paper has been very slow to adopt blogging, wondering about relative advantages/disadvantages between using them or going out on my own. Nice to have marketing muscle of big paper, takes time to do it on your own. Other hand, having blog is much better than not having a blog. Also, can re-use material -- paper to blog, blog to paper. That's very helpful. UJ gives example. Other reporter adds to discussion, good points. How do you ride that line? Hardest thing to do, ride line between news, opinion, etc. May be okay to move back and forth, but don't let snark overtake substance. Blogging we do, substance matters and you have to put it front and center.

Q: Discussion. Do you find in blogging that if you can just link to other point of view, are you able to promote opinion without fully understanding issue? Think it is a problem, cliques, and tend to ignore outside that clique. Example. Do I think cut and paste danger to digest and understand? Yes. Bloggings fast pace enables shortcuts, or even require shortcuts. Have to take time, make time, and work to do it right.

Q: How much time do you have to spend combing through things/tips/leades/requests from readers, dross? Not that much different from regular reporting. Discussion. Examples. Heh. How much reporting depends (versus just posting). Examples. Same process as journalism in vetting sources.

Q: Blogging post link size question. Depends on what type of blog you want to do. Michael Totten example. Much discussion. Comment that it has feel of talk radio, doesn't like, etc. Undisciplined rabble, how do you raise the IQ level of this madhouse? Then jump in and raise it. More snark on uneducated rabble. Yeah, lot of idiots, deal. God, drop it. No, it does not concern me.

Q: Can blogs survive if traditional journalism dies? Not an either-or choice. I think a lot of crappy blogs, those can't survive. Content will rule. Neither will survive without good journalism.

Q: How do you work (author question)? Discussion, author types, etc. Tightened up how we quote from other people (link, etc.). He questions audience about use of their material. Lots of fair use discussion, most good, difference between theft and promotion.

Missed some discussion, distracted. more on repurposing, fair use. Good topic. Really should be explored even further, discussion of business models, business ethics even.

Q: Content cycles? Yes, discussion on same.

More discussion, this could have been an almost all-day discussion, shame it has to end soon.

Q: When setting standards for those on your site, formal or ad-hoc. Iterative. Been like, "Hey, grow up!"

More discussion. More from pure journalism/blogging bites crowd. Can lose some of the lamer conventions of journalism. Standards of what is good doesn't change, follow them. Good point made from traditional outlet on adapt or die.

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