The Great Blog Debate

An in-class, old-school debate about the value of blogs in relation to traditional news outlets. Defending the blogosphere are Isomi Miake-Lye, Sonia Seetharaman and Andy Hogan; defending traditional news media are Sam Ghods and Lindsay Pond. The moderators are Sam Goldberg and Andrew Syder.

Play the entire debate (12.3 MB/35 mins) or listen by chapter:

• Opening Statements
• Question 1
  Does corporate ownership and its pursuit of profit inhibit the mainstream news media's ability to provide fair and impartial journalism?
• Question 2
  What is to prevent bloggers from posting incorrect or untrue statements? Where are the checks and balances?
• Question 3
  Many have argued that the coverage of hurricane Katrina marked the "reawakening" of the mainstream news media. What made the coverage successful?
• Question 4
  Blogs are often quite slanted towards particular ideological biases. Is this a detriment or not?
• Question 5
  Does the mainstream news media dumb down public discourse, turning complex political situations into simple emotional ones?
• Question 6
  One story on the front page of the New York Times can change the world, but stories that generate millions of posts in the blogosphere often have little social impact. Can the blogosphere make any claims towards real political significance?
• The teams question one another
  The tension is palpable. No punches are pulled.