Newspaper Political Blogs Generate Little Interaction

Newspaper Research Journal, Fall 2008 by Dailey, Larry, Demo, Lori, Spillman, Mary

This analysis of staff-produced blogs at 42 general circulation daily newspapers one week before the 2006 election showed that the blogs contained a small number of postings and failed to create much interaction between bloggers and readers.

Newspaper editors are adding citizen-and journalist-produced blogs to their Web sites even as they tamp down worry that blogs and other forms of new media are chipping away at their power base and forcing them to reconsider long-held beliefs about their gatekeeping roles.1 Unique visitors to the largest Internet newspaper blog sites rose to 3.8 million in December 2006, up from 1.2 million in December 2005.2 Despite the intense interest and growth in the number of blogs and their audience, editors and scholars are still struggling with how to harness the Web in general, and blogs in particular effectively, without losing sight of traditional journalistic standards. Supporters argue that citizen-produced blogs empower the public and encourage conversation by expanding and renewing the concept of the public sphere. Cynics see blogs as forums for narcissistic individuals, wannabe journalists and amateur communicators-a medium forever stuck in the awkward space between public speech and private conversation.3 The historical ties among journalism, community and civic discourse are strong, and that is where some professionals, such as The Washington Post picture editor Keith W. Jenkins, see promise:

What our newsrooms need is a mindset that values the Web for what it is, an extension of our human desire for community. The Web is a tool to talk to one another. We need to develop a culture in our newsrooms that lets us become part of the conversation that is already taking place; not as a dominant voice but as one of many. By giving up our position on high we may gain an even higher level of respect in the communities we live in.4

Enter the newspaper staff-produced blog, which can focus on any topic from a local sports team to parenting. Political blogs, in particular, are seen as providing a meeting place for journalists interested in promoting the democratic process and readers looking for a chance to share observations and beliefs. Political blogs offer individuals an opportunity to communicate outside the dominant media structure found in news stories, staff columns and letters to the editor. To be as effective as some of the more popular citizen-produced blogs, however, newspaper blogs must attract an audience and generate a conversation. If a weblog is sent out into the vast Internet forest but no one reads it or comments on it, has that blog really made any sound in the greater public discourse? So far, neither scholars nor professionals have given much attention to that question.

This exploratory study uses quantitative and informal analyses of 65 staff-produced political blogs at 42 general circulation daily newspapers one week before the November 2006 election to provide a snapshot of the breadth of the conversation. This research can be used as a benchmark for further study into the ability of newspaper blogs to attract an audience and generate a conversation. Specifically, this study addresses these research questions:

RQ1:

How many newspapers carry blogs dealing with political issues on their Web sites?

RQ2:

How frequently do newspaper bloggers post entries?

RQ3:

How much reader comment do political blogs generate?

RQ4:

Are comments to the blogs from a small group of loyal followers or from a larger audience?

RQ5:

To what degree do blog authors engage in a conversation with the audience?

RQ6:

Is there a relationship between the frequency of blog posts and the number of comments readers post?

Literature Review

Three areas of the literature inform the need for this research-the birth of blogs, the role of blogs in engendering civic discourse and the addition of staff-produced blogs to newspaper Web sites.

Birth of Blogs

Weblogs in the form of online diaries first appeared in the early 1990s as pioneers documented their personal lives or posted lists of interesting sites and articles they found on the Web.5 As with any social phenomenon, the very term blog took on a life of its own, and many people use it to refer to a wide variety of Internet activities. Researchers tend to agree that blogs are user-generated, frequently updated Web pages containing text, pictures and video on which individuals or groups present their thoughts, activities or interpretations of events. Blog entries are dated, and the newest material appears at the top of the page. Readers usually are able to respond to each entry.6 Blogs may be classified by subject (e.g. politics, entertainment, travel, music) or by the individual content producer.

Researchers and historians differentiate between two blog styles-filter and journal.7 Filter blogs compile links that bring together diverse opinions and articles of interest, an approach that may be akin to journalistic gatekeeping. Journal blogs function mostly as a creative outlet and an intimate record of a blogger's thoughts and life.8 Political blogs are a type of filter blog whose authors often base entries on the newsworthy items of the day.9