UK Bloggers Getting Bolder

The Bunny notes The UK Times article comparing US and UK bloggers. Bunny isn't very happy with the article, with good reason.

I read somewhere recently that the reason legacy media still don't fully understand bloggers, is that legacy media never had any competition before.

Unlike their American peers, British bloggers are yet to take a major political scalp, but there are signs that the growing community of amateur online pundits is becoming an influential force.

This opening paragraph proves what Bunny says: "I can only think this oddity in the piece comes about because Blakely didn't bother to talk to any actual British bloggers. "

Bloggers aren't about just taking "political scalp" we want some media scalp as well. We are getting closer to that moment every day; just ask John Simpson. The BBC's retraction is here.

And the group that Blakely calls "amateur online pundits" has some professionals among that group.

Here is more proof Blakely doesn't know what he is talking about.

"UK bloggers have yet to decide whether blogging is a means to promote transparency in politics or another tool for party campaigning."

It's both and more at the same time. It's the more part that Blakely chooses to ignore or hopes the British public won't find out about it; Transparency in Media.

Let me show the Times how it's done.

Mr Jordan's professional demise follows that of Dan Rather, the veteran CBS news presenter, who came under attack after levelling accusations over President George W Bush's military service. The subsequent probe by the channel, triggered by blog reports, led to the departure of four high-level executives from the network.

Wrong on both counts Times. It was Rather and CNN who attacked Bush using what Rather knew to be forged documents. The bloggers merely exposed the forged documents and Rathers use of them. Only one person at CNN was fired and it wasn't the guilty party - Rather. The other three were asked to resign; something they are refusing to do and have taken legal advice.

Then the Times makes the same mistake legacy media usually make - denigrating bloggers.

There remains significant cultural differences between America and Britain, not least the absence from the US of national tabloid newspapers which have in the past performed a similar role to the American bloggers.

Got that? Bloggers are the same as tabloid newspapers. I bet Rather and Jordon would dispute that.

Bunny goes on to note that there are some great bloggers here in the UK that Blakely could have interviewed but choose not to. Strangely, I'm not on the list. I'm sure it's more a space constraint than an oversight. Right Bunny?
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