A Symbiotic Relationship Between Journalists and Bloggers

Abstract

On March 22, 2007, John Edwards’ presidential campaign announced that the candidate and his wife would hold an important press conference that afternoon. Shortly before the press conference, CNN, Fox News, and other cable networks began broadcasting stories that Edwards’ wife, Elizabeth, would announce that her breast cancer was no longer in remission and that her husband would suspend his presidential campaign. While the story spread across the Internet, the campaign told journalists the rumor was not true. However, the campaign’s denial failed to halt the spread of the story. The problem was that the story really was false. When the news conference occurred, the Edwards family announced they would continue their campaign despite the cancer news. Journalists struggled to explain how and why they had given out false information. The source for the news media accounts turned out to be a recently-created blog called Politico.com. In contravention of traditional journalistic standards, the blogger, a former Washington Post reporter, had reported the rumor after hearing it from only one source. The source turned out to be uninformed. The journalist justified his use of only one source, saying that blogs “share information in real time.” The Edwards’ campaign story highlights a problem for journalists sharing information “in real time.” While a reporter is seeking confirmation, he or she may find the initial source to be wrong. Publicizing that information before it is checked can confuse an audience who, assuming journalistic standards apply to what traditional news media say, will take the story as fact.