Blogger Vs. Journalist — Access Denied

An anonymous reader writes "The Application Delivery Networking blog has an interesting take on bloggers vs. journalists. The post is a response to a complaint on Mark Evans' blog about why Nortel wouldn't give him access, despite the fact that he's the only blogger that focuses solely on Nortel. As a tech PR guy I can tell you that the article hits the nail right on the head about vendors' tenuous relationship with bloggers." Quoting: "You probably aren't aware of the hierarchy out there [in] the media community. Access to information from vendors is based on your status within the hierarchy. The information a member of the press gets from a vendor is different from what's given to an analyst and is different than what a blogger is going to receive. Bloggers... [can] be dangerous because they aren't bound by any rules. And that's what you're missing because you've not been a member of the press... And guess where bloggers fall [in the hierarchy]? Yup. Stand up straight, there, private!"

Comments

Shannon knows DEC/Compaq/HPC

[Jeffrey Baker]

A man named Terry Shannon published a newsletter called Shannon Knows DEC (and later Compaq, and HPC after that) for many years before he died. Shannon fit the definition of blogger except for the fact that his newsletter predated blogs. Shannon relied on rumor and secret information from his contacts at DEC. His newsletter was seen as a valuable contribution by the DEC user community, and alternately as a nuisance and a useful side channel by management. I would wager that the difference between Shannon and the blogger of the current article is that Shannon tried harder and didn't expect anything for free. He cultivated his information sources over the course of decades and frequently in the face of open hostility from the companies in question. Perhaps the blogger in question needs to cease whining and simply find a better way to operate.

Not exactly

[bjsvec]

..despite the fact that he's the only blogger that focuses solely on Nortel..

Really? What about http://blogs.nortel.com/?

Re:Why should they?

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

...and bloggers who think they are journalists or even superior to them.

I don't agree. A journalist is anyone who is invloved in the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues and people. (definition quoted from wikipedia).

I have a video camera and an idea for a movie. That doesn't make me a fucking member of the Directors Guild.

The Director's Guild is a union. You can be a director without being a member (you can't work on DGA signatory films tho'). George Lucas, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez are all not members.

Re:Most companies dont get it at all...

[clickclickdrone]

I actually find the job of a journalist very confusing. To me, it appears that they are supposed to

5. Understand the law
6. Understand what they can and can't print
7. Follow rules - know that an NDA means NDA
8. Respect sources
9. Check facts
10 Understand the difference between rumour and fact and report accordingly and responsability.

Most reporters dont, and that makes most news look like press releases of a company.

That is more a feature of American news reporting, especially magazines where they pretty much print a PR release as a story. There is also far more collusion between the ad departments and the editors. Other countries keep them fully seperated. Most if not all editors I've worked for in the UK refuse point blank to talk to anyone in the ad department, especially when they're trying the 'XXX has taken out a double page ad, can you get a good review near it?' which ought to be responded to with 'f*ck off'.