A number of well-known UK female journalists and commentators have come forth to admit the amount of hatred and vitriol that they receive online — particularly threats around rape and sexual violence.
Bloggers
Protecting sources … when is a journalist not a journalist?
Just who is and isn’t a journalist is yet to be tested in court. One day, surely, it will be and that will be very interesting indeed. Is bad journalism, such as Andrew Bolt’s recent litigated inaccuracies, still journalism. Is good blogging journalism? Interesting questions.
Blogger bribes: new dodgy advertising methods
An US marketing company pays bloggers on major US websites to insert links to company’s websites in the middle of an article — and its clients include Dell and T-Mobile, says Hamilton Noltan.
Passwords of journos, pollies and bloggers made public
Do you use the same password across multiple websites? Up to 200,000 people in Sweden have recently been affected by a mass hacking incident and its got reprecussions for all internet users.
Debunking the ‘us and them’ dichotomy of bloggers v journos
Commentators who engage in the ‘bloggers versus journos’ debate almost always miss the point. It’s not about amateur versus professional. It’s about asking how we can deliver the best possible journalism in multiple mediums, writes Mr Denmore.
Is ‘exposure’ worth working for free?
A group of freelancers are suing Huffington Post for compensation over past work they did for free. Online publishers — including Crikey — often have writers work for free. Should writers do it?
HuffPo freelancers refute the ‘free’ part
Huffington Post cost AOL $315 million earlier this year, yet the majority of its writers don’t earn a cent for their work. Now a group of freelancers have launched a class-action seeking compensation for their work.
Why we have to hope that Bolt wins his case
It would be a strange law that said the minute you become influential, you are less free in what you say.
Queens of the internet
“Mommy bloggers” might be semi-insulting term, but Heather Armstrong of Dooce explains how bitching about household appliances and sharing tales of post-natal depression earned her millions.
How the Huffington Post works (and yes, they pay staff)
Jason Linkins clears up some of the myths of Huffington Post, explaining that there are paid staff who do the majority of the work behind-the-scenes, although many of the other bloggers whose content is used aren’t earning money.
Getting beaten up in cyber space? Pfft, stop whinging
Internet debate can be coarse, but it really does hold journalists and politicians to account. The only things I have censored on this blog involved gratuitous obscenity and scatology, says Richard Farmer.
Senate to re-open bloggers versus journalists
That tired “bloggers are not journalists” debate looks like it’ll surface in Australia’s Senate soon, thanks to the Greens. It’ll be annoying. But it’ll be a good thing.
Why I quit HuffPo
There’s only so long that bloggers and citizen journalists can write original journalism for free. Journo Mayhill Fowler published her resignation email trail with a HuffPo editor, discussing the lack of support she received.
Wanna buy a blog?
A whole new world of internet advertising is developing in the Forbes blogs stable, far more involved than the old sponsored post. Instead advertisers can pay to run an entire blog alongside the normal blogs run by Forbes journos.
Shots fired by the river, unknown number of dead #mexicandrugwars
As Mexican newspapers see their journalists killed and threatened for reporting the drug wars, bloggers and tweeters are increasingly the most effective media for following the assassinations, shootings and kidnappings as they happen.
Russian blogger are sad and cranky naysayers
The political blogosphere in Russia is a burgeoning sphere of vitriol and nastiness. Russian bloggers are quick to turn on anybody and the public would be well advised to stay away and stick with good old fashioned newspapers, writes Victor Davidoff.
When online media outlets pay peanuts, they get monkeys
Freelancers are increasingly waking up to realise that if their work is good enough for a commercial outlet, they deserve to be paid.
Don’t cross me or I’ll tell millions
Yes, it’s a classic customer service revenge tale. A customer gets bad service, they bag it out on their blog and Twitter and suddenly the company are offering them freebies. Are bloggers improving customer service?
Why are so many bloggers blokes?
This piece is currently causing quite a stir in the blogosphere: Why is the world of online journalism such a sausage-fest? According to Canadian columnist Margaret Wente, it’s because men love the “adrenaline rush” of online punditry. And chicks don’t, apparently.
The ethics of blogging
Citizen journalism gets it fair share of criticism for its lack of ethics, so Upstart offers a guide to ethical blogging, from linking to sources to realising that anyone may see your work.
graph pr0n Who are these people we call bloggers?
Bloggers are male, university educated and mainly talk about themselves, says intac in a breakdown of the blogosphere. Are 35% of bloggers really professional journalists?
Fashion bloggers are the new black
The latest must-have accessory in the fashion world isn’t a pair of heels or even tighter pants (thank god): it’s a blog. Vogue editor Anna Wintour now sits alongside bloggers at catwalk shows, while 13-year-old fashionistas are making the old guard look positively daggy.
Citizen journalism, 1960s style
Journalism.co.uk unearthed a great 1960s British newsreel about a 14-year-old boy running his own newspaper. And surprise! Today he’s a blogger.
revealed 
Palin’s banned blogger list
Finally, the official list of bloggers banned from attending an event for Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue have been revealed by Talking Points Memor. And husband Todd Palin was chief enforcer, responsible for bloggers including Dennis Zaki and Jesse Griffin being ejected from the venue.
Just who is a “journalist” in Australia?
Changes to Australia’s Freedom of Information legislation next year will make it easier for journalists to access government documents — but just who does the government consider a “journalist”? asks Peter Timmins. Do Australia’s bloggers also have a Right to Know?
