GoodWork Paper 56: Bloggers: Citizen Journalists or Entrepreneurs?

Author(s): Morra Aarons-Mele

Editor(s): Howard Gardner, Series Editor

Media: Paper

Description: I suggest here blogging is not an extension of the journalism profession but that bloggers are entrepreneurs who wish to define their own professional identity and moral code. Blogging reflects a significant trend in the American workforce: the democratization of the professions. The rise of such influential bloggers raises questions about the meaning of good work among classes of professionals with no governance or moral norms. Like journalists, bloggers can shape national opinion and drive public action. Unlike journalists bloggers create their own norms of ethical behavior and work product. Current literature defines filter blogging as “citizen journalism,” suggesting that blogging is the next iteration of journalism and shares similar ethical norms. I conducted interviews with 10 well-regarded American bloggers, asking them about their professional identity. I asked them to describe their code of ethics and particular safeguards to ensure they produce good work. These interviews turned up the discovery that these bloggers do not wish to enter the journalism profession, although they consider aspects of their work “journalism” and do indeed share some ethical concerns with professional journalists. They all consider themselves professional bloggers, but do not consider blogging itself to be a profession. Instead, these bloggers are entrepreneurs whose websites function as self-directed business ventures.