What bloggers can learn from journalists

Steve Outing has compiled some good ideas here in his followup to what journalists can learn from bloggers….

Steve Outing has compiled some good ideas here in his followup to what journalists can learn from bloggers.

What bloggers can learn from journalists:
• Checks & balances (a.k.a., the editor). “An extra pair of eyes can certainly help to catch spelling, grammar, and factual errors, but more importantly they can catch really dangerous issues — such as when you’re about to libel someone.”
• “Learn the value of journalistic legwork. Talk to multiple sources, and check out the credibility of those sources. Double-source information that seems suspect. Seek out the aid of public- and media-relations professionals for corporations and public institutions; today, many of them are accustomed and willing to work with bloggers as well as traditional journalists. Don’t be afraid to go to the top of an organization for comment, but also know the value of seeking information from those much further down the organizational ladder. Avoid anonymous sources when you can, for just as in traditional journalism, bloggers can lose credibility when quoting from them, unless there’s a darn good reason.”
• Think about ethics. Outing recommends reviewing CyberJournalist.net’s Bloggers’ Code of Ethics.
• Ask targets for reaction before making accusations or criticisms.
• Make accuracy a guiding principle.