Blogging news stories as they unfold, in real-time, is one of the most exciting and controversial applications of blogging today. One Blogging New Journalism thing that makes the blogosphere so active is the fact that it is possible to update a blog instantaneously, so the news on blogs tends to be more current than the news in the paper, or on television. Unlike traditional news media, news that appears on blogs does not have to travel through a maze of editors and administrators before it's delivered to the general public. This "New Journalism" has some advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.



One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog before appearing in traditional media took place in July 2005 when terrorism struck London. As passengers were evacuated from a subway car near an explosion, one man took several photographs of the scene with his cellular phone, and within an hour these images were posted online. First-person accounts of the catastrophe began appearing on blogs, soon after these photos appeared, and people all over the world learned about the events in London by reading the words and seeing the photos posted by bloggers.

The fact that these stories and images were being shared directly by individuals operating without the added filter of a reporter, made the crisis feel very immediate and personal to people across the globe.

Individuals sharing information across open, unfiltered communication channels, known as social networking, is a way of life in the Happy News Reporters blogosphere. When it comes to blogging news stories, individuals report in a very personal context, thus making the information that much more appealing to the mass blogging audience. This has the potential to be the beginning of an exciting new era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism" to it's logical next step by putting the power to shape how the news is written and read directly into the hands of the public.

Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are champions of the movement feel that this growing trend; of individuals sharing and receiving their news from blogs, is a good thing as it facilitates a more democratic flow of information. Neutralizing the control of information, by blogging news stories, allows more voices to be heard on important current events.

However, there are many that would, and do, disagree. Those that oppose "New Journalism" argue that unlike traditional media, blogs do not provide for a fact check and therefore there is no accountability measures in place. This can result in a very rapid and massive spread of misinformation. In fact, more than one such "falsehood" has taken the blogosphere by storm.

The debate over whether blogging news stories, as they happen and whether it is ethical or not, can become very complicated, but no matter which side of this debate you stand on relative to blogging news stories, you are almost sure to agree that this movement, "New Journalism", IS revolutionizing how modern people get their news.