Many journalists like to imagine they’re fighting against the establishment, following in the footsteps of Woodward and Bernstein.
Bloggers are no different, except in their case the traditional media often becomes part of the establishment they are fighting against.
In reality, being invited by Downing Street to attend a major conference suggests that blogging is not so different after all.
By the same token, mainstream media including newspaper groups and broadcasters are embracing some of the innovations associated with blogging, providing more opportunities for readers to generate their own content and express a view on the issues of the day on their websites.
This is hardly a revolutionary idea. The letters page of any newspaper is always important.
But it can be taken further on the internet, where lack of space is rarely an issue.
Number Ten’s attempts to woo bloggers are not in themselves going to make much difference to the way politicians communicate with the public.
Only a minority will be able to attend events such as the G20 Summit, and anyone who’s asked a question to the Prime Minister will know that the experience is not necessarily very enlightening.
What’s more significant is the ability of those who don’t receive a press pass to write about it anyway.
The key point about blogging is not that anyone can attend the G20 – they can’t – but that anyone can become a publisher.
Blogging allows people to express and share opinions on any topic which takes their fancy, from global finance to knitwear. In that sense, it really is a global conversation which anyone can take part in.
There’s no reason why bloggers shouldn’t ape the mainstream media by attending events, or why Downing Street shouldn’t help them do so, but this is not what makes blogging special.
