Kenneth Quinnell over at the Florida Progressive Coalition has posted what amounts to a manifesto for bloggers toiling in the swamps of Florida politics. A prolific writer and a vigorous mover and shaker, his opinion is always important, but this time he seems to have really gotten to the heart of the existential matter.
The basic thrust of his manifesto is that Florida bloggers need to take the next step, and assume the responsibility for actually reporting news, not just our considered opinions. The collapse of of all other sources of news is both manifest and inevitable, so if bloggers don't professionalize themselves into something like journalists, then who will take up the mantle? The alternatives are grim indeed.
He lists some excellent principles (which he refers to as "biases"), and offers a basic three-step approach:
- Identify what is "news."
- Develop sources
- Promote ourselves and each other
His first two items are hard, but the last seems easy. It's a little embarassing for him to have to call Florida bloggers out on this, but he's got me dead to rights. I'm going to be thinking long and hard on all three points, as should we all.
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