Is blogging journalism

Blogging is a reasonably new form of communication online, whereby anyone can create their own blog in order to express their own opinions and thoughts for anyone else searching the web to look at or read.

The very nature and role of blogging is a place where opinion and debate can arise, therefore for many grammar, spelling and general accuracy is not always top of the list. Within journalism almost every piece written is sub edited and proof read to ensure its utmost accuracy and truthfulness, this is therefore a large difference between blogging and journalism as blogging is rarely regulated and allows almost anything to be published online.

Due to this many people find it difficult to comprehend blogging as a form of journalism:

            “I think there’s a misunderstanding when people try to talk about blogging through the frame of journalism. Most political bloggers don’t consider themselves to be journalists but rather citizens participating in a public debate. The fact that it took off in the way that it did and joined the mainstream debate is why people thought of it as journalism.” (R.Solly, 2007, pgs 198)

Blogging offers anyone a platform in which to get views and thoughts as well as work and ideas published, there’s nothing really to take away anything perhaps that wouldn’t be found in publications or forms of online journalism, in some ways this separates blogging from true journalism as there is no process or consideration to it, it can be merely published as  an out-pour of nonsense.

Bibliography:

R.Solly, Journalism, Career F&Qs, 2007, pgs 198

What are the main difference between print and online journalism

Music journalism has over recent years taken form over new platforms, namely the transition from not only print but to online publications as well. For many magazines having just a print version is not enough and to keep up with the demands of a new generation and the growth of technology, there are many online sites that are now dedicated to the online version of publications.

There are some obvious differences between online and print journalism, the platform itself sometimes determines what can and cannot be included within the separate types of publication.

Online journalism can have an infinite number of pages, there is no real set limit as the web can hold more information and it is cheaper to create web pages than to print them, within these pages the information is generally more condensed, a shorter or more concise article may be published “People read 30% more slowly off the computer screen than off paper. And they read less carefully – scanning. You need to convince readers you’re good – and do it quick - to get them to stick. (www.national union of journalists – Paris) the amount of content within online journalism is main difference as the bulk of the news is held at the hub or home page where the attention of the audience needs to be sustained. The separate pages are usually small, 150 to 200 word reviews or features that act as a taster of the magazine.

Interactivity is also a big difference between the two mediums, with the nature of online journalism and websites allowing for fast and easily accessible audience/reader participation. With print journalism the idea is still continued but it a remarkably different fashion “A well-known means for feedback, especially in print journalism, is the Letters to the Editor section. Readers usually write letters as a reaction to media messages. The communication remains reactive, however, not unless journalists or other readers (in subsequent letters) respond to the initial communication.” (T. Schultz, 1999) Therefore online journalism offers a greater level of interactivity with the reader as it is instant and accessible.

Another difference is the structure of the content and the way in which it is read. With print journalism the reader can actually hold the information whereas the information online is virtual, this may alter the way in which the content is taken in:

            “Printed newspapers are known to widen the range of public topics, events and issues their audience is aware of. There are reasons to assume that their online counterparts help increase their audience’s perceived agenda to a lesser extent. The way print newspapers are structured and used is supposed to lure readers into reading stories they may not have been interested in beforehand. Online papers support more activity and control by their users; becoming aware of a narrower range of topics according to one’s individual interests is more plausible.” (K. Schonbach et al, 2005, Chapter 4)

Lastly the layout of print and online journalism differs somewhat, print is only able to be designed in a way that fits to paper, something that can be folded up and looked at time and time again, the general layout of a print copy is columns of writing with fixed images and headline, sub headings and pull out quotes. Whereas the online copy can afford to change this layout to some extent “...the layout and design are key elements for presenting that information, and all media for any photo, video and audio elements that accompany an article.” (Ferguson, 2005, pg48) online journalism is able to incorporate a variety of extra features such as moving images and videos that could not be found within the print publication.

Bibliography:

Ferguson, Journalism, Infobase Publishing, 2005, pg 48

K. Schonbach et al, Online and print newspapers : their impacts on the extent of the perceived public agenda, 2005, Chapter 4

T. Schultz, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 1999, Wiley-online library.

How has your work changed from the first assignment and how has sub editing affected the way in which you view your writing

One of the first things that becomes apparent when writing at a university standard, especially in terms of popular music journalism is the need to change your style from clear cut ‘run of the mill’ essay writing to a focused and stylised form of writing.  In my opinion to become a high quality and successful writer the style in which you write needs to interesting, different and personal. Of course is in some circumstances, such as news backgrounders or small inserts personalising the piece may not be necessary or appropriate but to have a style that is recognisable is what makes your work and writing true to you. However, it is also necessary to be able to write to a ‘House style’ which reflects the paper or publications general theme and tone.

From the first assignment to the second, there is an obvious change in writing style and a better regard for proofing and editing work to an extensive degree before submission. Therefore becoming more aware of grammar and punctuation and sentence structure.

One factor that allows writing to progress and become of a higher standard is sub editing “At a most basic level of sub editing involves quality control, looking for factual errors, typos or literals and solecisms to ensure everything is accurate and well written.” (J. Whittaker, 2008, pg 99) Sub editing allows writing to be tweaked and improved to fulfil a magazine standard and many publications have a vast team of subs to ensure all pieces are of a high quality.

Bibliography:

J. Whittaker, Magazine production, Taylor and Francis, 2008, pg 99

Discuss the work of two music journalists you admire and why

One of the biggest names in music journalism history, for me, is Lester bangs. With a career as notorious as the bands he’s wrote about, Bangs is in his own right a bit of a star himself. Starting his career in 1969 with Rolling stone Bangs soon became a name within his field, yet in 1979 after being fired for a negative review within the publication he moved onto to Detroit’s Creem with whom he gained national recognition (C.H. Sterling, 2009, pg 378) 

Lester bangs opinion has always been what makes him so influential within the music press, and his views on music journalism are apparent “I think a lot of music out there and a lot of the writers who are out right now, they both deserve each other, because they both have no personality and no style of their own and no soul.”(DeRogatis quoted in M, Berube, 2005, pg 129)

The life of Lester Bangs is what makes him so compelling, the attitude and ideals that he exudes make him one of the only music journalists that are and have been able to become as renowned as the people they write about “Lester bangs- the gonzo journalist, gutter poet,  and romantic visionary of rock criticism.” (J. DeRogatis, 2000 pgs 331) As a champion of rock journalism, a musician himself and with a career spanning from 1969 to 1980s he is truly a music press legend.

Another influential and quite remarkable music journalist is Nick Kent, with a career starting at the tender age of 19 and continuing into the 1980s, the back catalogue of Kent is pretty impressive:

        “Kent started writing for the underground magazine frendz as a 19 year old student, and was then recruited by NME late in 1972...he did not disappear from the papers line up of contributors until the mid- 1980s but in practise he was working as a freelance in 1975. In the 1980s in did some work for The face and moved to France; he went onto do television work and write for magazines and dailies such as Mojo and 

The Guardian and publish a book called zonked. “ (U. Lindberg, 2005, pg 205)

It is clear that his career is filled with different types of publications, from monthly publications to dailies and newspapers, giving him a wide knowledge of the music press and the different platforms within it. Not only this, similarly to Lester Bangs, Kent was able to input his personal experiences to his work “Kent took his musician’s career further, having a brief fling with the Sex Pistols and even recording a song with a group called the Subterraneans... On the whole he didn’t just write about rock stars he shadowed them.” (U. Lindberg, 2005, pg 205) Nick Kent is so influential due to his widespread involvement in so many different publications and types of publications, from working as a freelance and to working for individual magazines.Therefore giving him wide and varied experiences of the music press. 

  Bibliography:

M. Berube, The aesthetics of cultural studies, Wiley-Blackwell, 2005, pg 129

J.DeRogatis, Let it Blurt – the life and times of Lester Bangs, America’s greatest rock critic, Broadway books, 2000, pgs 331

U. Lindberg, Rock criticism from the beginning: amusers, bruisers and cool headed cruisers, Peter Lang, 2005, pg 205   

C.H. Sterling, Encyclopaedia of journalism, SAGE, 2009, pg 378

What is the role of music journalism today?

Music journalism has always been a huge part of the music industry, with many writers gaining a high level of recognition throughout their career. Music journalists such as Lester Bangs and Nick Kent were making their mark in the 1970s and in some ways set in motion and became heavily a part of the culture of rock journalism. 

Within this Bangs and Kent gave their own opinions and beliefs through adding their personal tales “Nick Kent and Lester Bangs carefully cultivated public images of themselves, for instance at the start of his retrospective review of Van Morrison’s Astral  Weeks  Bangs places the record in relation to his own personal experiences” (J. Shepard, 2003, pg 255) Through this style of writing the idea of some music journalists becoming a character through their work or giving their writing style a large personality,  perhaps to encourage the premise that they were in an important position as music journalists, “Music reviews and interviews are often littered with obscure of canonical musical reference points, which serve simultaneously to establish the journalists authority.” (J. Shepard, 2003, pg 255)

Music Journalism has changed from its original style and purpose, moving into the realm of journalism that is currently recognisable today “Music and periodicals sprang up dedicated to music journalism which, initially made no distinction between political and artistic matters” (M. Callahan, 2005, pg 34) Slowly, music journalism began to slide into the role its fulfils today “music journalism especially underwent a transformation directly corresponding to the final conquest by the popular arts of preeminent position in cultural production.” (M, Callahan, 2005, pg 34)

It has been argued that the role of a music journalist has changed quite significantly today, with the need and audience changing, “As the landscape for consumer press has changed so has the job, no longer is music journalism the domain of the specialist magazine; nowadays virtually every publication covers music in some form or another.(A. Britten, 2004, pg 105)  Therefore this suggest that the role of journalism has widened and perhaps become something that is accessible to almost everyone; with many different types of publication now having music sections and the idea of music journalism moving from the specialist to the more general. Similarly the changes from early forms of music press to the current role show some significant changes:

“Music journalists are no longer as free as their 1960s-1980s processors who were to tell the unexpurgated truth about something. Interviews became political footballs ; promotional albums kept under lock and key for fear of piracy. May feel the role of music journalism is being whittled away as more and more people download advance copies off the internet.” (A. Britten, 2005, pg 105)

The role of music journalism today may have changed prominently from the earlier description and opinion of music journalism, moving from specialist to widespread and from uncontrolled freedom of writing to a more regulated idea of sharing opinions and beliefs with a new generation of audience.

Bibliography:

A. Britten, Working in the music industry:how to find an exciting and varied career in the music world, How To Books Ltd, 2005, pg 105

M. Callahan, The trouble with music, AK press, 2005, pg 34

J.Shepard, Continuum encyclopaedia of popular music of the word, Continuum International publishing group, 2003, pg 255

Agnes Obel - Philharmonics

Agnes Obel  - Philharmonics

Philharmonics, the word itself expresses the essence of this album fully before you have even heard a note: the devotion to music – in terms of orchestra and symphony.

From the moment the piano introduction sighs out to fill your pores with the simplest of music delights, it is apparent that the album is going to take you away. The opening track Riverside acquaints us with Obel’s soft, understated voice and with the sound of delicate piano dancing along to the mellow tone, you are encased in beauty.

Throughout the album, the folk enthused offerings soar and drop, taking you every step of the way with them. The emotion of the songs, the quiet musings of Beast and the sombre resonance of Wallflower become yours, it is impossible not to become attached to magical sounds that are eased into your body and mind.

The pockets of instrumental episodes within the album, offer a wordless escapism, carrying the senses to a place of quiet elegance; the musicianship of Obel beams through in every song with the joining of orchestral piano and strings with acoustic guitar the sound created is almost what you’d expect to accompany a fairytale.

All twelve songs sink into one another allowing for complete and unfaltering harmony. Philharmonics bathes the senses in a mellow purity that is unmatchable for those who sit within the same genre. The essence of Agnes Obel’s musical gift offers the natural delicacy of something truly beautiful.  

Mikaela Osborne

5/5

Published On SouthSonic website: http://www.southsonic.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1579:agnes-obel-philharmonics-pias-recordings&catid=25:album&Itemid=19