Why “blogs and politics” matters for “blogs and engagement”, “blogs and PR” and “blogs and the civic square”
Glenn Reynolds relates a conversation he had with a journalist who was wondering (as in: he’s writing about it, which is what reporters do when they wonder) if weblogs have elevated the political debate.
The journalist seemed skeptical, and so am I. But that’s because he was asking the wrong question.
Here’s a better one: Do weblogs provide a basis for helping readers form more-authentic opinions than those they could achieve by relying only on legacy media?
And another one: Do they provide a platform for dialogue (rather than just passing along publicity) that the legacy media has never adequately addressed?
And, just so I can keep us talking about marketing and communications: Does the perceived authenticity of the few increasingly trump the dollar-driven publicity of the many in determining public perception?
On those points, the answer isn’t just “yes.” It’s “hell yes.”
