Help Send Black Bloggers to DNC
The Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado August 25-28, 2008. Over the past couple of years blogging has taken off as a newer form of news media. The beauty of blogging is that you get all types of opinions from people with varying life experiences and point of views. You’re able to get something beyond the corporation-sponsored news articles and at times you get the story the big boys overlook.
This year over 100 bloggers were invited to be credentialed bloggers of the DNC. Of that number I believe seven are black bloggers. When I attended the the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to meet three of the seven in person (I already knew Shawn). In talking with Shawn, there are costs for the trip and they have to cover all expenses. If they worked for a major news company it would be all good, but this is coming straight out the pocket.
History is being made at this convention and I want someone who can relate to the black experience covering it. If you visit their blogs which I’ve listed below, you’ll see they are definitely qualified. So check them out and if you like what you see, send a couple of bucks their way. I haven’t done it yet cause I’m waitin’ on my check, but (in my best pastoral voice) I am putting my ??? dollars into the collection plate. Not the kind that jingles, but the one that folds. Holla.
Shawn Williams
Dallas South Blog
Donate
Gina McCauley
What About Our Daughters
Michelle Obama Watch
Donate
Pam Spaulding
Pam’s House Blend
Donate
August 11th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Is it just me or isn’t it kind of strange to sign up to do something, knowing you would have to pay for the trip and accomodations, and then ask for help paying for things? Why sign up for something you can’t afford? I’m just saying, thats why reporters can go around and cover the news, someone pays them to do it. I know its important to get different points of view on things, but the whole dust-up over having Black bloggers at the convention was really much ado about nothing. I’m sure regular the mainstream will have live coverage of the whole thing. It would be just as good to have bloggers comment on the live footage rather than actually pay all that money to go to the convention. Blogging is good and its FANTASTIC to get the Black view on things, but its not necessary for everything. Its great when it sheds light on things the mainstream ignores, but no one is going to ignore the convention. 100 bloggers reporting on the same thing is overkill if you ask my opinion.
August 11th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Bronze Trinity, politicians do it all the time
If I thought I could provide decent coverage to my readers, I would have applied. I know there are costs that are involved, but the experience gained would be worth it. Those getting paid to cover the convention are getting paid to give a report that I’m sure doesn’t conflict with the interests of those paying them. The bloggers who attend, I feel have more freedom in what they can say and the expectation from their readers I’m sure is higher.
I found out after all the dust was kicked up about the getting more black bloggers to the DNC. Whether it was worth it or not is up to debate, but I think the list of bloggers is diverse enough to where you can get some good insight into what the Democrats are about. If it doesn’t work out and you get the same news stories from them as you do the local news, then I guess we’ll know better next time. But if they can provide something the local media cannot, it’ll be worth it.
Each blogger I listed has a different group of readers who find feels they are good enough to attend the convention. If you look at the numbers, somebody believes in them because they are more that halfway there. I’ve donated to tons of causes and I’ve only done so for those I thought were worthwhile. That’s why I’m blogging about it. They have no idea I’m doing this and I wrote this post as a way to show my support.
Thanks for your comment.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Thanks for the support Theo
August 12th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Thanks for your reply. I guess I just didn’t understand what the big deal was. I don’t think any of the Black bloggers earn a full-time income from blogging, so although its a good experience, it might not earn them more money or help them advance in their jobs. They might get to meet some people thats about it. You are right though that they can report on things that the mainstream would hold back, but what controversial thing is going to happen at the convention that will be ignored by the mainstream to only be covered by bloggers? I don’t think there will be anything.
Plus, I don’t think being a blogger makes someone qualified to be a journalist so there might be commenting on things that are not so important and very few interviews or exclusives because everyone will know they are not reporters. I think they might just be treated like spectators. The important politicians might ignore them because they want to reach the largest audience and bloggers won’t give that to them. I’ve seen some live blogging before and it was way too much information about unimportant things, just like when the mainstream reports on something live and go on and on about nothing because the details are not known.
It also seemed to me that a couple of people were complaining about the convention because they wanted personal gain, media coverage for themselves, or to just cause trouble. Not anyone on your list but others who were making the most noise. I just hope its not embarrassing for anyone. Reporters can be obnoxious but bloggers without any restraint and wanting to get attention can be out of control.
August 12th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Bronze Trinity, thanks for checking back in. The blogging phenomenon is new to a lot of people, so we’ll see how it goes. I hope the bloggers attending don’t try to be journalists. I like the commentary more and feel the media reporters have better access to people and information to get the big interviews. I’m sure it’s all about who you know anyway. But on the same hand, blogging is one of those new buzzwords and some may feel compelled to give them an interview in order to reach a different audience. Who knows. It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.
Shawn, no problem man. I thought the readers needed to know about it.