I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
On Facebook, former Albuquerque mayor Martin Chavez took an apparent shot at NMPolitics.net writer Heath Haussamen, saying that Haussamen is just a blogger posing as a journalist.
Haussamen wrote on Facebook and Twitter, “I’m tired of campaigns trying to use journalists to sling mud at each other so it can’t be traced back to them as negative campaigning.”
About twenty minutes later, Chavez wrote on Facebook, “Not any more tired than politicians are of bloggers posing as journalists!”
Chavez did not directly mention Haussamen, who has worked as a reporter, editor and columnist at The Independent, The Santa Fe New Mexican, the Las Cruces Sun-News and the Albuquerque Tribune. Haussamen is now an independent reporter, whose website, NMPolitics.net, has been named one of the nations “best state political blogs” by Washington Post political reporter Chris Cilizza.
This is not Chavez’ first tussle with an online writer. While still mayor, Chavez tried to bar a blogger from covering an event, saying that he wasn’t a member of the press. The blogger, freelance photographer and former Albuquerque Police officer Mark Bralley, writes a very opinionated blog—and sells photos to news organizations and other clients. He has provided photographs and live streaming video to The Independent.
So what’s the difference between a blogger and a journalist?
A blog is just a method of disseminating news, like radio, television and print publications—but because blogging software is free, anyone can get involved.
Just as some journalists work in radio, television and print, some journalists work online. Some, such as reporters for the Albuquerque Journal, write for the newspaper and maintain a blog online. Other journalists, like us, are paid to write online.
If you’re doing journalism it doesn’t matter what medium you’re using.
What IS journalism? That’s another subject.
