Hazels attack on political blogs do they offer the facts?

“Perhaps because of the nature of the technology, there is a tendency for political blogs to have a ‘Samizdat’ style,” she said. “The most popular blogs are rightwing, ranging from the considered Tory views of Iain Dale, to the vicious nihilism of Guido Fawkes… mostly, political blogs are written by people with disdain for the political system and politicians, who see their function as unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy. Until political blogging ‘adds value’ to our political culture, by allowing new voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the mainstream media reports politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and despair.”

A quick preliminary. The category of “political blogs” is vast. Some are more professional than others; some are more opinionated than others; some concentrate on finding stories, and others on expressing views on the stories of others. So it is very hard to make general points.

That said, there is nothing wrong with unearthing “scandal” and “perceived hypocrisy”. It’s actually a vital role. What matters is that it is done in a fair and accurate way.

Professional journalists have a number of golden rules. One is that facts are carefully checked before publication. Another is that any party that plays a material role in a story, for good or bad, has the right of reply. A third rule – perhaps slightly more “golden” for the regional than the national press – is that stories should be selected on their news value, regardless of who “wins” and who “loses” as a result. In other words we ask ourselves questions like: Is this something the public needs to know? Is it something people would want to know? Is it, regardless of vested political interests, important?

Do political bloggers meet these standards? It varies, but generally they don’t. A fair few are good at checking their facts; most are pretty poor on right-to-reply; virtually all select what they write about on partisan grounds.

What do you think about blogs? waste of time, i have no idea. People seem to read it so untill they stop i will carry on Hazel. But what ever you think it’s one more tool to use.