Journalists blogging

My media-socialist kakis highlighted two sites to me today:

Ex and current IT journalists are blogging at Techgoondu, a sort of “things they would not let me print” – it includes both short bits and longer indulgences that the small spaces in print would not allow. Well there are a lot of IT readers out there and can easily become a staple of many of us. Now if only I had read Best deal at PC Show? (I actually heard about this from Jen days later.)

Over at CNA, a new URL, http://www.channelnewsasia.com/blogs reveals a new venture. Surprise, surprise, eight of the CNA presenters are blogging.

Timothy Ngo has blogged before and is grappling with the adopted portal and worrying about replying comments. He needn’t worry, he already has fan mail! Joanne Leow’s blog has a name – The Skeptical Optimist adn seems to have embraced blogging, and will certainly deal with some brown (and green) issues.

A few have made the characteristic “I’m new to blogging” statement and you can almost see their toes testing the water before leaping in. But leap in they have, and I am sure the presence of colleagues will ease this exploration.

There are enough daily life reflections to keep a varied audience happy. It appears that many target a weekly post which is plenty. With their RSS feed (I put it into one folder), you can click to read the posts that intrigue you. As I glimpsed through the lot just now, I realise the posts that caught my eye in particular were, I suppose, the sort of fare I’d hope to read in a journalists’ blog:

Wong Yee Fong reflects on “Chinese Hospitality,” (Yee Fong’s blog, 24 June 2008):

“Are you trying to make us leave?” It was hard to contain the sarcasm in my tone, despite my attempt at giving them what I thought was my brightest smile.

“We were told that this pass could get us to any quake zone in Sichuan.” I flashed that big blue pass with the stamp of approval from the Sichuan Provincial Government.

Sujadi-Siswo discovers “The Poor Should Also Protest…..” Sujadi’s blog, 27 May 2008.

“I[']ve covered many demonstrations since being posted here more than 3 years ago.But this time round the demonstrations are different.

… It doesnt matter what the government has to say about the need to raise fuel prices. The students have long made up their minds. The current lot believe its their time to create history just like their predecessors did 10 years ago. I salute their activism and idealism. But someone may have forgotten to tell them that the times have changed. Yudhoyono is not Suharto. Maybe someone did tell them. But in Indonesia, youre not an undergrad unless you have gone out onto the streets fighting for a cause. Participating in demonstrations is part of their ECA.”

They will (or already have) find that blogs free them up from the limitations of the media of choice. But that writing takes time and effort!

Happy reading!