To blog or not to blog?

Jason Manning mentioned that some reporters seem interested in blogging because it seems hip or cool, or that it offers a certain “cache.” He said still others don’t want to blog for essentially the same reasons.

Stop - you’re both wrong! Could there be any worse reason for a reporter to blog or not blog than the hip or cool factor?

Reporters should want to blog (and maybe I should just end that sentence there...) because blogging encourages reader interaction, opening a dialogue between the journalist and the people about whom - and for whom - they report. It also allows the journalist to share more personal experiences from their reporting, perhaps to show more of their personality and, in some cases, to troll for sources or information for stories. Some reporters also see it as an opportunity to throw out ideas or rumors they’ve heard, but haven’t confirmed.

If a reporter doesn’t want to do those things, fine. But it seems silly to blog just because it’s hip or cool. And it seems even crazier to keep from blogging for that reason.