Blogging in politics – a kind of „subservient journalism” of political parties

Victor GOTISAN,
media researcher

I used to have a habit – when I was watching a movie, I always had a notebook and a pen by my side to write down the most impressive quotes. I would always put down at least one quotation from a movie. One that drew my attention was from the thriller “Contagion” (2011): „A blog is not writing. It’s graffiti with punctuation”.

Note: In this article, I will not try to write about niche blogs. I will write about blogs/bloggers aiming to be opinion-makers (especially those connected to the political kitchen in the Republic of Moldova).

What is blogging or where does journalism end and opinion-making start?

Journalism is a field that legitimated in time. It has a history, a tradition; it has certain rules, even though many are unwritten. There are media associations and organizations setting these rules of the game, which are compulsory. Moreover, there is a “constitution” or “Bible” of journalism – the deontological code of journalists, which regulates the principles and professional ethics.

On the other hand, blogging is a quite new “science”. It is not regulated at all and it does not impose any rules. You are free to write anything about anyone and in any manner. Moreover, you a have bonus – you can write anonymously, avoiding to put at stake your name, good faith and career.

The American journalist and blogger Alan Elsner points out at least three problems which, when solved, will finally turn blogging into a legitimate field: 1) lack of double-checking or bloggers’ failure to check the information they work with; 2) anonymousness or false identity bogging provides, and 3) lack of control of information shared through blogs, and the last one is specific for Moldova – 4) political blogging in Moldova became a sort of subservient journalism of political parties.

Note: Despite certain advantages of the blogosphere, that is ONE ADVANTAGE – freedom of expression, a very important value or quality of writing is omitted – the fact that the right to expression is directly proportional to the responsibility assumed for what is being expressed.
Blogging in the Republic of Moldova or what we lose when we gain something…

When we talk about journalism, we usually refer to specific postulates that have been accepted in time and ought to the followed, such as objectiveness, correctness, truthfulness, equidistance, independence and others. All these are part of what the blogger and activist Vitalie Spranceana calls “the reputation of the journalist” – that is being fair with oneself, especially with the editor’s office and the audience. Political blogging in Moldova sacrifices responsibility to the detriment of the freedom of expression.

Note: The classical or true journalism means interviewing, investigating, searching information that can be confirmed by at least two separate sources. Political blogging, however, is very often just offering opinions. This is when the big quarrel appears between these two groups – journalists and bloggers – when some of them write nothing else but opinions, and others bring true, verifies facts. Journalism in this respect means content or “structure” according to the journalist Alexandru-Bradut Ulmanu, while blogging is rather a form or fireworks.

When will the blogosphere in Moldova have quality political blogging?

“Gaburici sent out a feeler, but he went away with a flea in his ear. “Is he a usurper or a political b*tch?” “It’s been three years since Dodon voted for Timofti” or “Dodon started robing us blind!” are just a few titles form the blogs published in The Guardian or Radio Free Europe/Radio Libery (RFE/RL)?

You don’t need to be Michael White, Natalia Morari, Traian Ungureanu or Benedict Brogan or to have followed some initial courses of blogging at the Huffington Post or TechCrunch to realize that is less than inadequate to use such calumnious and vulgar language.

Note: A blog, especially a political one, is valuable only when the information posted on it is signed by a reputable professional working in the field, having special talents and the ability to analyse events.

Conclusions...

The freedom of expression involves responsibility – first of all responsibility for what one writes. This is why journalism has that special set of rules and principles of professional ethics. While political blogging can be censured only by the blogger’s common sense, which, in the end, lacks.

Note: Political blogging in the Republic of Moldova should be reinvented; otherwise, it risks remaining at fireworks, subservient or just… graffiti with punctuation.
 
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The article was published within the Advocacy Campaigns Aimed at Improving Transparency of Media Ownership, Access to Information and promotion of EU values  and integration project, implemented by the IJC, which is, in its turn, part of the Moldova Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society project, implemented by FHI 360.
 
This article is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The content are the responsibility of author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.