Citizen Journalism

As the book Blogging mentions, it has often been said that “freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one” (Liebling 1960) (Rettberg 84). That however, was before the time of blogs. As Jill Rettberg, the author of Blogging writes, “Bloggers have seen themselves as an alternative to mainstream media, and as a force that can reform and change the ways we conceive of media: today, anybody can own a press. Anybody can be the media” (108). Blogs now allow greater accessibility to a “press.” Anyone’s voice can be heard on the World Wide Web. Individuals can write about anything that interests them without the fear of gatekeeping. They do not have to worry about whether or not their topic will be published or edited or whether their comments will be screened. The blogger controls what he/she wants to put on his/her blog, while governments on the other hand, may try and control society’s accessibility to these blogs.

“There is no doubt that blogs have allowed people to share ideas and build resistance in non-democratic countries such as China and Iran, where censorship is heavy but blogs are able to slip through” (108). The notable blogger Yoani Sanchez can definitely be placed into this category of bloggers. Though she may not exactly be “building resistance,” she does indeed share her ideas with the world, even with those who do not have direct access to the web. Though the Cuban government has definitely tried to censor her blog, Generacion Y, she acknowledges that “the internet has a way of slipping through the fingers.” She says, “fortunately for us, technology evolves faster then censorship.” Sanchez has also come up with an idea to distribute her blog to Cubans who do not have access to the internet. She has formulated a minidisk, “a copy of [her] blog as it appears on the web without the option of posting comments.”

As Sanchez has found ways to get around Cuban censorship, she is able to voice her opinions on topics that are left out of mainstream Cuban media. She is able to cover controversial issues on her blog as it is her “press.” She takes advantage of this ownership by directing the information being published, which would not be possible outside of her blog. She is capable of sharing ideas and inciting what she calls “serious civil dialogue.” In Sanchez’s own words, “nothing becomes so attractive as what has been prohibited” and her blog allows her to do just that.

However, though blogs may be very insightful and useful, not all blogs carry the same quality of writing and information. Blogs are written from the perspective of one person (or maybe peoples), even though many may share this person’s point of view. These person’s views may range from an infantile understanding to that of an individual with a PhD, making it hard to filter for “right” and “wrong” opinions. Blogs can also be very biased which may or may not be a pitfall. Blogs however, may be more diverse and allow for greater discussion of alternative perspectives than journalism may provide (94).

Sanchez’s blog provides a good example as to why it may be problematic to rely solely on Generacion Y for information regarding Cuba. The opinions shared on her blog are hers only and may not reflect the thinking of every Cuban (and may not be entirely correct), though there may be similarities in thought. An outsider reading her blog to gather information on Cuba may be misled as her blog reflects her perspective and her point of view on certain issues may be skewed due to varying circumstances (though, it may not necessarily mean that she is wrong). In addition, Sanchez may not cover everything regarding Cuba. Some topics may be just as important but may not appeal to her preference and may be filtered out. Just because her blog is accessible to the world, does not mean that it should be a one-stop shop for information. Readers too, should make an effort to validate (or try to, as it may be hard to do so with opinions) what they are reading.