The Penny Press Reporter and The Blogger

Now, more than ever, people have the ability to become a published writer with a viable audience. The medium that has made this possible is the Internet. Of course, prior to the World Wide Web, writers could publish their thoughts in books or magazines or newspapers or personal journals/diaries. However, the Internet rivals these traditional publications because its access and proximity to the public are immediate and widely available. The penny press revolution of the 1830s allowed citizens to publish their thoughts and have them read in letters to the editor. Today’s penny presses, so to speak, are the weblogs (blogs) on the Internet where one’s thoughts, opinions, and ideas can be accessed. Bloggers emulate what early penny press journalists did and therefore should enjoy the same legal protection as journalists.

In Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers, Michael Schudson attempts to tell the shaky history of objectivity. Schudson argues that objectivity is traditionally a hallmark of good, factual journalism. However, over the course of history the notion of objectivity has decreased, if not vanished. The penny papers were prior to the true adoption of objectivity in journalism and many penny papers expressed political/partisan opinions. It was not until the 1920s when the notion of public opinion reemerged in journalism. Schudson discusses the theories of Walter Lippmann and writes, “So Lippmann tried to reserve a place in his analysis for public opinion; he tried to cut a pragmatic middle road between a democratic fantasy and a democratic despair,” (Schudson 124). The notion of objectivity was in question and the ideals of public opinion were once again becoming an important part of journalism in the mid 20th century. During this time in history, change was plentiful. Technology was changing the face of life in cities across the nation. To say the least, questioning objectivity came naturally in a time of drastic changes.

Lippmann’s argument was to bring forth public and individual opinion as he described the average citizen as feeling “‘…rather like a deaf spectator in the back row, who ought to keep his mind on the mystery off there, but cannot quite manage to keep awake’,” (Schudson 123). In other words, journalism was too dull and needed some color. During the age of the penny press and its evolution into traditional journalism, journalists enjoyed the limelight of the public eye. As long as reporters in the penny press system could write material that sold papers, their positions were protected. Penny press reporters had an indispensable right to express their opinions as do journalists today. The same protection should be afforded to bloggers on the Internet.

The profession of journalism, some might argue, is hardly a profession at all. One can attend journalism school and get a degree, but anyone can qualify to work for a newspaper or other publication. The Internet is one large publication for anyone and everyone. Nicholas Lehmann writes in his article, “Amateur Hour” in The New Yorker, that “Citizen journalists are supposedly inspired amateurs who find out what’s going on in the places where they live and work, and who bring us a fuller, richer picture of the world than we get from familiar news organizations, while sparing us pomposity and preening that journalists often display,” (Lemann 10). Bloggers take journalism back to its roots and describe the day to day in frank, forthright language. Blogs provide a different outlook on culture, news, entertainment, and even the day to day rhythm of life. Blogs provide news from a different perspective. Of course, there is a difference between The New York Times and a blog, such as this one. However, both pieces of literature examine a subject in an effort to provide the reader with new or advanced knowledge.

To say that a blogger is a full-fledged journalist would be unfair to professional journalists. As Lehmann points out, “…Internet journalism has to meet high standards both conceptually and practically: the medium has to be revolutionary, and the journalism has to be good.” Many newspapers, magazines, etc. are published both in print and online and the same standards of journalism apply to both media. Bloggers enjoy more independence and freedom in the realm of blogs because they are not surrounded by the rules of a particular publication. The New York Times standard of journalism does not apply to a blogger unless that person chooses to blog according to Times style guidelines.

In either the world of professional journalism or the world of blogging, both writers should enjoy legal protection for their work. The intellectual property of each individual deserves to be protected. One of the original notions of copyright protection of one’s work was to encourage more citizens to make their thoughts known. This protection should not be denied to anyone. The thoughts and intellectual property of individuals need to be protected whether professional journalist or citizen journalist.

Blogging may indeed be the beginning to a new form of journalism in the same way the penny presses evolved into many of the credible newspapers read today. Lehmann describes, “At least in part, Internet journalism will surely repeat the cycle, and will begin to differentiate itself tonally, by trying to sound responsible and trustworthy in the hope of building a larger, possibly paying audience,” (Lehmann 12). It would not be surprising to see that in a few years many bloggers with large audiences have become authorities in the world of journalism and public opinion. Until society and culture reach that point, however, the work whether professional or amateur deserves the same legal protection because both types of journalist afford the same right to freedom of expression.