DID RIGHT-wing bloggers cost Helen Clark the last election? “Traditional” commentators ridicule the idea, but some in the blogosphere see signs that it is an influential participant in politics.FOR LONG-SERVING political journalist Colin James, blog content is “trite” and “trivial”.
James – until recently a columnist for the NZ Herald, now writing for the opposition Dominion-Post – believes blogs in New Zealand currently have little, if any, impact on voter behaviour.
But others are taking a different view as the 2008 election is picked over.
Canterbury University mass communications lecturer Donald Matheson says the internet and blogging in particular have challenged the “authoritative voice” of journalism by “watching the watchdog”.
“The relationship between journalism and the big news organisations and the people reading those has changed. Good journalism should welcome that, a bit of critique, a bit of needling. It’s a healthy thing.”
Political bloggers in New Zealand do see themselves as watching the watchdog on issues such as electoral finance reform, copyright law and, last year, the monitoring of Winston Peters (below right) and New Zealand First.
One of the country’s leading political columnists Matthew Hooton – who entered the blogosphere himself last election – argues this watchdog role may have influenced the outcome of the 2008 election.
And isn't Colin James a tosser, his column gets dropped from the Herald and he is now writing for the Dom Post but its bloody boring. We are lovers of Fran O'Sullivan and Rob Hosking both have offerings that are tasty and satisfying - like Lambshanks at Boulcott. James on the other hand is toast made out of cheap supermarket white bread.
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