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Letters from the Editor in Chief

Tony Burman was Editor in Chief of CBC News until the summer of 2007. He was CBC's chief journalist, in charge of editorial content on radio, television and the internet. With more than 30 years' experience, he produced many award-winning news and documentary programs for both CBC-TV and Radio. He covered stories in more than 30 countries, including the Ethiopian Famine of 1984, the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

How the web is changing the way we cover elections

Friday, November 10, 2006 | 11:55 AM ET

Political tremors felt throughout the United States in recent days have not only shaken loose the Republicans’ lock on power, they’ve also rocked traditional mainstream media assumptions. Blogs and the internet have emerged from these mid-term congressional elections more influential than ever.

In many ways, the web is reshaping the American political landscape and it will be fascinating to see what impact this will have on Canada’s experience.

By linking to all sorts of media, instantly and 24/7, American bloggers were successful in placing themselves at the centre of the political dialogue. They did this by breaking stories (real or imagined), amplifying others and trying to be the watchdog over all malfeasance.

The latest example was just the other night when comedian Bill Maher appeared on CNN’s Larry King Live and attacked the hypocrisy of some anti-gay Republican leaders who are themselves gay. He named one, much to King’s surprise, and CNN promptly edited that portion out of its rebroadcast of the program.

But the original version was picked up by a blogger, sent off to the popular video website YouTube and the clip now lives on in eternity in the vast blogosphere.

Another example occurred in the last week of the campaign. Senator John Kerry’s controversial remark about Iraq was ignored by the mainstream media until a right-wing California hotline host put it on his website. This soon led to the story leading U.S. network newscasts and dominating the front pages of most newspapers.

Even the scandal involving Florida Congressman Mark Foley, which many believe marked the beginning of the end for the Republicans in this campaign, was started through anonymous e-mails posted on the internet.

Many bloggers are viewed as suspect, but others are gaining in credibility and attention. And there are an increasing number that hold the mainstream media to account.

Jeff Jarvis, one of the most influential, sees important breakthroughs in this recent election, particularly the importance of websites such as YouTube:

“YouTube allowed anyone with a camera to report on any candidate and so now any misstatement gains toxicity and speed; this is the true viral politics. The speed of politics has changed, just as the speed of media did before it.… The voice of politics has changed, not just because the people can now be heard in our blogs but also because we can cut through the nonsense of media coverage with the no-nonsense attitude of comedy news. On YouTube, you can remix and mock any politician. Anyone can be Jon Stewart. Everyone can call bullshit. I hope we are starting to see the death of the dutiful voice of politics in America.”

The dynamism of the web was evident in all of its unrefined glory on election night itself.

Thousands of journalists, as well as self-described “citizen journalists,” experimented with a variety of new media tools and approaches to report and analyze the election results.

The Poynter Institute, a prestigious school of journalism, scanned the many innovations introduced on election night and presented an exciting glimpse at what may soon become routine in election night coverage. Some of them included:

Quizzes, live streaming and voters’ election blogs.

Live chats, continuous photo galleries and personalized results tracking.

Interactive maps with updated results and projections.

As a further sign that the “new media” is no longer that new, these innovations are being tried by both established news organizations as well as individual journalists and bloggers.

The influence of political blogging in Canada does not yet match the American experience, but that will likely change in time. And — with the possibility of another federal election in the Spring — Canadian news organizations have been watching the U.S. developments very closely.

In the last Canadian federal election, CBC.ca introduced several new innovations which garnered considerable audience response.

Discussion areas were set up for each riding in Canada. We published more than 10,000 reader comments, some of which led to stories on-air.

Five bloggers were hired to debate the issues in our Election Round Table, and we monitored what other bloggers were saying in The Blog Report.

We offered readers detailed looks at all the issues through charts, current affairs pieces and an interactive quiz.

In terms of political coverage, these initiatives as well as the recent events in the U.S. are a reminder of how far we have come (for better or worse!) in recent years.

As CBC News covers the next chapter of Canada's political story, including a federal election expected in 2007, tell us what ideas you think we should pursue.

This discussion is now Open. Submit your Comment.

Comments

Richard Baxter

Toronto

I am curious to know where the CBC is headed in terms of encouraging / managing / controlling / overseeing / guiding "citizen journalists" in the future. How can new and emerging technologies be harnessed to support and extend our "on the ground" presence in areas where journalists can't always be (e.g., the beating of Rodney King). There is certainly value there, but it does not seem to be in a format upon which we can capitalize presently.

Bringing in bloggers and creating discussion forums is a good first step. But each method trades off quality against openness and immediacy. Is there a plan in the works to address this?

Posted November 11, 2006 08:07 AM

Harold Hotham

Bloggers may be becoming "an important part of the media" however readers still have to be as diligent as ever, if not more so in assessing what is written. The blogger is accountable to no one and so can say anything they wish, true or false, prejudicial or not. It is more often than not, little more than opinion without fact and so while it may appear to put a pulse on the nation, the truth is that it is most often the pulse of the blogger. Man in the street interviews can accomplish the same thing.

There is no doubt that some important stories have evolved from bloggers, but these same stories could just as easily have come from accredited journalists; if they were in the field instead of a computer terminal.

The standards of reporting must still be held at the epitome of reporting, that being the credibility of the reporter and his/her ability to confirm sources and stories. Bloggers are not held to this standard and the public generally are gullible enough to accept what is "printed" without the challenge of critical thinking.

An editor challenges a story and for good reason; to ensure the accuracy and relevancy of the reporter's work.

Without this kind of diligence, Watergate would have been lost on an inside page. This is the essence and importance of good reporting. By and large, bloggers do not meet this standard.

The real test is the ability of the journalist and media to be objective.

Posted November 11, 2006 11:57 AM

erika blew

london

If we do not recognize the fact the new millennium is upon us and in fact the internet, and blogging is here, we ignore an important way we can communicate. How else can one communicate if we close our eyes and ears and not listen - while many can criticize blogging as an ineffective way to report on the news events, it is here to stay. Blogging is one way to communicate and I say communication is the key to humanity. What ever the case blogging will open our eyes to a different world, a different perception and enable others not able to communicate with the outside world with no boundaries. Freedom of no physical boundaries, to some even.

Posted November 17, 2006 10:59 AM

bob brouse

ottawa

hi there. its nice of folks to crow about how the bloggers have to be kept to a standard...
having belonged to the national press theatre
and watched reporters going out with newest nicest looking parliamentary secs and ea's,
all the stuff going on with whose wife or husband goes out with what lobbiest, i think that was out the window a long time ago. when we see retractions everyday, reporters who are fired for a host of not good things,inventing stories,plageurism and so on, why would anyone
believe any of these people. we arent stupid out here we dont need a cbc reporter to tell us whose telling the truth and who isnt.
good article thanks for that.
bob brouse.

Posted November 28, 2006 11:57 AM