Ben Franklin Was A Blogger

Heather Steans is all too typical, and my recent posts about being ejected from the Heather Steans victory party on February 5 was not about me. It was not even about Heather Steans. (See Blogger Ejected From Bitter Victory Party and Steans Ejects Citizen Journalist From Victory Party.)

The story involved me, yes. It involved Steans and her gang, yes. However, the story is really about politicians and the bloggers they shun. The story of Heather Steans kicking a blogger out of her victory party is a story of small mindedness, pettiness, ignorance, and stupidity.

It is about a fear of the new media. It is, ultimately, about how many politicians fear the eyes and ears of the public. It is also about a basic misunderstanding about what blogs and bloggers are.

To explain this, it is necessary to first examine what a “blogger” is. To begin, let’s go to a few expert sources.

Blogger.com is one of the biggest hosting services for people who blog. They define a blog this way:

“A blog gives you your own voice on the web. It's a place to collect and share things that you find interesting— whether it's your political commentary, a personal diary, or links to web sites you want to remember.

“Many people use a blog just to organize their own thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands. Professional and amateur journalists use blogs to publish breaking news, while personal journalers reveal inner thoughts.”

If you didn’t know that this was a definition of a blog, you might think it was the definition of a newspaper or magazine. Perhaps, even, a radio show. Or Benjamin Franklin with his little upstart publication, “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” You know, “real” media.

Why would that scare a petty political hack such as Heather Steans? Let’s break it down into the elements that most frighten Steans and her ilk:

>>> “Political commentary” – God forbid you should say anything critical of a person running for an office in which he/she will be able to influence your life.

>>> Some blogs “command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands” – like this one. At 15,000+ readers per month, The Bench is comparable to many, many print magazines. Imagine a city of 15,000. Now imagine that you publish a monthly magazine there, and every single person in town reads your magazine. Nothing to sneeze at. The mayor would invite you to every party. So would every town council member.

>>> “Professional and amateur journalists use blogs.” Did you notice the word “professional” here?

>>> “Use blogs to publish breaking news.” Hmmm. Sounds like “real” media, doesn’t it?

Still, many people just don’t get it. They think that all bloggers are nothing more than rumor mongers and busy bodies. Sure, many are. But the same can be said of many in the respected “real” media world. But the “real” media, the Big Media, is smart enough to make good use of blogs. They are themselves, therefore, bloggers.

One example of many: The blogs of CBS News.

Ultimately a “blog” (short for “web log”) is just a web site. To compare it to the print media, saying “web site” is akin to saying “publication.” Neither is specific. For example, a paper “publication” can include a local newsletter, a high school newspaper, the New York Times, Playboy Magazine, or a political leaflet. Saying “web site” can include a straightforward local government site that gives information. It could include porn sites, sites about movie stars, or anything else that any kind of paper publication does.

Okay, a “blog” is a type of web site. But just as a “magazine” is a type of publication, it doesn’t tell us what kind of information it is presenting. “Blog” and “magazine” are still not very specific.

“News magazine” or “gardening magazine” are much more specific. Now you have a better idea of what is presented. Similarly, there are blogs about pets, about gardening, news, whatever.

The blog you’re reading right now (The Bench) presents a mix of items, just as many web sites do, and just as many big magazines do. Newsweek magazine, for example, also has light feature articles, some humor, and so on. The Chicago Tribune newspaper has a comics section. Get the idea?

Another good definition of a blog comes from problogger.net:

“Blogs are usually (but not always) written by one person and are updated pretty regularly. Blogs are often (but not always) written on a particular topic - there are blogs on virtually any topic you can think of. From photography, to spirituality, to recipes, to personal diaries to hobbies - blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine. Whole blog communities have sprung up around some of these topics putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends with and even do business with people with similar interests from around the world.”

Read that again. Think about it. Again, the definition could easily be applied to print publications.

By now, you should be convinced that “blog” is a vanilla term. A “blogger,” quite simply, is a person who blogs. Bloggers are writers, and just as in the print world, there are good writers and not-so-good writers. Whether the writer/blogger is “good” or not is irrelevant. They are writing, doing the best they can. Some well-known, professional journalists are better than others. That’s why only a few win Pulitzers.

Back to Benjamin Franklin, mentioned at the top of this piece. Franklin would be a blogger if he lived today.

“In 1721 James decided to start a newspaper. At the time there were already two newspapers in Boston, but this newspaper, the New England Courant, was different. Instead of reporting on news from Europe, the Courant reported on local news with clever reporting and contributions from its readers.” (Source)

Sounds like a blog to me. To continue with that:

“After a couple of especially controversial stories in 1723, the Massachusetts legislature decided that the Courant had mocked religion and the government and should be punished. They put James in jail and passed an order that "James Franklin should no longer print the paper."

Again, sounds like a blog. Okay, I exaggerate just a bit. But the Heather Steans of the modern world would put us away if they could. They are petty enough to kick bloggers out of the events that “real” media persons are allowed into. In many places, such as Chicago, journalists must be “accredited” by the local officials to get real access to government information or police blotters.

If Steans can be so spiteful as to kick a blogger/writer out of her victory party because he wasn't there to celebrate her victory - in other words, to demonstrate favoritism toward her - she would not hesitate to shut down or even jail said blogger if it was within her power. This is frightening, because if she would treat a blogger/citizen journalist that way, how will she treat the constituents who are openly critical of her? How will Heather Steans, and politicians like her, behave toward members of the “real” media who are critical?

No, my postings about Heather Steans kicking me out of her party were not about me. They were about you, your right to participate, your right to openly criticize a politician or public official, and about the mean spiteful disdain that so many in government “service” have for us.

Ben Franklin must be rolling in his grave.