mediajunk

There are a lot of silly articles out there about the "battle" between journalism and blogging, asking whether the latter will displace the former. Blogging and journalism are not in competition; new media is not in competition with old. At most, new media sometimes changes the function of old media, in carving out a new niche for itself (just as television changed the function of radio).

One of the reasons why blogging will never rival journalism became clear this week when noted "warblogger" Sean-Paul Kelley, publisher of The Agonist, was reported by Wired magazine (no less) to have blatantly plagiarized many of his entries.

*****

Newspapers, see, have ethics and standards, a point that the LA Times sought to make when it sacked a photographer for deliberately manipulating an image taken in Iraq.

Isn't it curious that they were so public about the dismissal though, even publishing the original photographs? Hmmm...