Schwanksta :: Fuzzy Journalism

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the future of journalism as a profession, and everything I read, as well as everything I hear from my professors, leads me to believe that a journalist can’t survive without showing off their tech skills. 

Thankfully, that’s one area where I shine. 

Until now, however, I’ve just considered blogs a dinky tool for Mary Jo Smith to tell the world about her coinciding obsessions with Battle Star Galactica and her 2-year-old black tabby, Mr. Kittenpants. I can almost visualize the black, sci-fi color scheme and the section devoted to pictures of the poor creature (the cat, I mean) dressed as characters from her favorite shows.

But I’ve been tinkering with the idea, and I think I see the value of a website like this. Everyone’s not quite comfortable with the feel of it yet, but it’s definitely a simple and flexible way to publish news and opinions.

I’ll admit, even I get most of my news via RSS feeds and the Internet in general. I try to read at least my school paper, the Alligator, every day, but it’s really nothing amazing. Shining spots sometimes, but for the most part, I should be reading something else. The most readily available printed alternative, The Gainesville Sun, isn’t that much better.

So how can I continue to belittle online news blogs while simultaneously reading them more than I’d care to admit? I guess I can’t. So I’ve joined their ranks.