FERNANDEZ on BLOGGING

“Yes! Definitely, blogging is journalism,” Professor Rolando Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Northern Luzon Bureau says in the mini symposium of Journalism 113, On-line Journalism class this afternoon.

Fernandez stresses in his talk that blogging creates a new and advantageous venue not only for journalism but also for other fields of businesses. He adds that blogging can be a stronghold for the community press. He says that through blogs, many readers can access the news story on a community publication. Also, blogs can be updated from time to time unlike with the community publications which usually reach the readers once a week. And among all the strong points of blogging, blogging invites immediate reactions from the readers.

However, Fernandez explains that blogging is not that promising. Blogging entails knowledge on computers and economic considerations. "Of course, not all have an access to the internet, but many can," Fernandez says.

He predicts that in the next 3 to 4 years, there will be a boom in terms of accessing blogs. For him, blogging is another means of personal publication. Fernandez says that owning a television company or a publication firm ties up with the economic stability of a person. Not all can afford to have this kind of establishment, whereas with blogs, it is very much accessible to the public.

When asked about the competence of journalists as compared to bloggers, Fernandez says that "there is nothing special about journalist." He explains that the word "journalist" is just a name, which people have come to romanticize. He explains that if bloggers do the same thing as those of the "journalists" in terms of data gathering and information dissemination, he or she can be considered as "journalist." Still, the main point here is the accuracy of the writer and the ethics he or she applies in writing a story.

In addition, Fernandez says that blogging complements the media. He mentions about a columnist of Malaya who gets some ideas and tips from the news on the blogs for her column. This is because of the immediacy and accessibility characteristics that these blogs offer.

When asked on the issue of newspaper readership, Fernandez comments that "not in my lifetime will I see the death of newspapers in this country." Although he sees that blogs may overshadow the print publication, he still believes that newspapers have the staying power in the Philippines.