A top blogger has claimed the distinction between journalists and bloggers has all but disappeared.

Iain Dale, author of the eponymous Diary, claimed in an article in the Daily Telegraph that bloggers were now seen as part of the establishment, rather than “online insurgents.”

“The fact that so many bloggers are, effectively, professional journalists creates the impression that we’re not online insurgents, breaking down the gates of the Westminster village, but just another part of the establishment,” he wrote.

“It’s rather like a scene from Animal Farm: “The voters outside looked from blogger to journalist, and from journalist to blogger, and from blogger to journalist again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”

The National Union of Journalists is attempting to revive the Regional Press Awards after the Wilmington Group’s decision to “rest” them this year.

The new event, to be called the NUJ Regional Press Awards, will take place on 29 June at Dingwalls in Camden and will be free to enter via the union’s website.

General secretary Jeremy Dear said: “It would be unacceptable to see the great work of local and regional journalists – in print and online – go unrecognised.

“The NUJ Regional Press Awards will be a celebration of tenacious, ethical, quality campaigning journalism and a recognition of the best in photography, design and writing.”

A senior digital executive with Johnston Press has left the regional publisher for a new career in the United Arab Emirates.

George Hopkin had previously been in charge of JP’s efforts to enhance its titles’ visibility in search engines

He is now heading digital development for Dubai-based Motivate Publishing, which owns a portfolio of 20 magazines and seven websites.

George, who began his career as a reporter on the JP-owned Worksop Guardian, was interviewed for the editorship of the Mansfield Chad following the retirement of Jeremy Plews last year, but the job went to Tracey Powell.

An annual business conference sponsored by newspaper publisher the KM Group attracted more than 4,000 visitors.

Kent 2020 Vision is the largest business exhibition of its type in the South East and featured over 350 exhibitors and speakers, including Lord Alan Sugar’s right-hand man Nick Hewer and James Caan from Dragons’ Den.

KM Group managing director Graham Mead said: “We are proud to play an active role in the success of the Kent 2020 event.

“As a multimedia company dedicated not only to our audience but to the Kent business community, events such as this enable us to play an active role in the county’s economic future as well as our own.”

The Campaign For Freedom of Information is running a training course for journalists who regularly use the FOI Act on 17 June in London.

CFOI Director Maurice Frankel and Research Officer Katherine Gundersen will be showing how the Act can help reporters to obtain information. Further information and details on how to book here.

Comments

Cynic (04/05/2010 11:01:31)
All journalists now? Further, it is perfectly easy to tell journalists from bloggers. (Or should that be blaggers?) Journalists can read and write, distinguish fact from comment, check the veracity of information that they acquire, seek balance where it is warranted, publish without fear or favour and generally are inclined to check their own watch as a precaution when someone tells them the time. Journalists write for online as well as in print. Jerk-off merchants whose only outlet is their wordpress page are not journalists.

Fellow cynic (04/05/2010 12:35:43)
Well said, that man.

localhack (04/05/2010 13:20:19)
so, other than the frankly ridiculous qualification that real journalists write for print, how does blogger Ben Goldacre fail to tick all your boxes – in his quest to show how “real journalists” don’t, Cynic?
http://www.badscience.net/
Oh, and incidentally his blog is run on WordPress . . .