The value of blogging

The other night as I was settling down for my evening review (explanation further down) a thought-provoking question popped into my mind. “Does and how many people actually read the blogs/articles that we journalists write?”

Okay well – if it is posted online, it’s easy to check the numbers on the back end but that in itself does not say much. Although, for many on social media – it is about the number of likes or clicks and nothing but. It is not unlike a chartered accountant who based every single decision on the empirical data provided by the bottom line and the bottom line only. 

But perhaps this is the wrong question. What value do readers derive from these blogs/articles? Often times, lots of research, careful thinking, and time to go into writing a blog/article. Information only – does it satisfy? 

With online and the continuous feed of new copy and stories, everything moves down the screen and out of sight fairly quickly once loaded. If readers don’t read the article/blog within a specific timeslot, after it has been loaded, it is “lost”. It is of course possible via cross-posting on various social platforms, to bring a piece to the front again and again. And yet again, the numbers can be tracked.

Journalism is a dynamic and challenging environment. And it is particularly tough now with COVID-19. It is a profession that every day, exposes one to many different people and scenarios - often under tremendous pressure – not just to ensure your info is correct, but also to produce quality copy within tight deadlines. It challenges both your street-savvy and, at times, your own sense of morality.

Journalists are often judged as being cynical or having their own agendas and the rest. Truth is – being objective is always relative to, among others, one’s frame of reference, education, culture, and upbringing. The variables are infinite. Take for example how, with the same set of scientific facts about COVID-19, opinions differ in terms of the yesses and the noes. 

So read, think, and take the time to engage with the author/journalist of a well-written piece because you may both learn something really important through this interaction.

Be safe.