Ariella Aghalarian

Michael Skube starts his article by implying that bloggers are opinionated people that use writing on the internet as a venting method. That blogging is the new way for people to write for free (because in the past people would only write if they were getting paid). Bloggers are like reporters without obligations. They get o write about whatever they want; whenever they want about whomever they want with any restrictions (by editors and publishers for example). Blogging is like a check on the media, according to Moulitsas, because with the comments that people are able to make, reporters know they have to stay fairly honest in order to not get bashed by the public’s (bloggers’) opinion. Blogging is like the new journalism. It’s journalism that makes a difference rather than just stating facts, as Skube feels many bloggers believe. Blogging, according to Skube’s article, has much to do with politics. It’s a form of journalism that bloggers are using because they want to make a difference with their writings and, he shows, that they want to use blogging to sway opinions to a more democratic view where debate and public controversy will push the country to where it needs to be because without the debated there would be no lead towards knowing what has to be done. Skube shows that he believes that blogging has become a new form of reporting, but he does not believe that blogging is real journalism.
In Andrew Sullivan’s piece entitled “The Blogging Revolution”, Sullivan emphasized that this use of technology to expose and give opinions on original fiction, or news in general, (otherwise referred to as blogging) is changing everything. It’s changing how the media works and journalism in general. Just as Skube implies it is used as a check on the media, so does Sullivan. Sullivan also agrees with Skube in that blogging is a way of writing what you want for free and without restrictions allowing bloggers to be much more extreme. One big difference; however, between Sullivan and Skube’s views on blogging is that Sullivan views it as a form of relatable reporting while Skube seems to view it as a form of reporting that includes brainwashing. Skube seems to think that that bloggers all try to sway the public away from republican views (“stay away from right-wing..”) and “democratize” everyone. Instead of viewing it as people just putting their opinions out there, he seems to see it just as uncensored journalism which is wrong. Blogging is simply a way to get our feelings across about different issues. It allows people to get their voices out when they feel they can’t do it in person. It allows for the idea that America has the freedom of speech to actually be true. Sure, people are commenting on topics they might not know so much about, but if it weren’t for these people, how would we ever know what’s true and what’s not? Sure, blogging and technology in general doesn’t put restrictions on anything, but isn’t there enough censorship everywhere else? And, blogging is one form of technology that is changing everything, but if it wasn’t for change, we would not have gotten as far as we have today, because, in the end, these bloggers are the one’s we trust more than the news reporters as Sullivan implies, because we can relate to them. If there wasn’t something to relate to when it came to being involved in what affects our lives, who knows what we would let happen.