Content
Analysis
The anecdotal evidence of blogflops is illuminated by data from a content analysis of four leading political blogs during the campaign. Posts were coded to as to whether or not they performed traditional news functions of surveillance (collecting and disseminating information about the environment) and correlation (interpreting information and proscribing reaction). InstaPundit, Talking Points Memo, Daily Dish, and Daily Kos were checked daily July 20–Nov. 15, 2004. Relevant findings:
- Very little original newsgathering or factchecking
- Surveillance was vastly of mediated environment
- Mainstream print news dominant medium sourced
- Alternative news rarely sourced
- Other blogs most predominant non-news source
- Correlation rare, most frequently editorializing
These findings suggest that cases such as Memogate are
exceptional. Not only
did many stories fail to breach the conventional media layer with commensurate
interest, primarily they quoted and commented upon mainstream print news,
or, it can be inferred, other blogs doing the same. If one considers MSM
to be elite political actors, this supports Bennett's (2003) indexing theory: A story becomes worthy of blogging when the mainstream media are debating
it.