NewOrleansTruth.com Redux
I told you I’d keep up with this one, and I have. Interesting to see what’s happened.
The New Orleans Truth website is authored today primarily by Easton Ellsworth, the editor of Know More Media, the company that’s sponsoring the website. He has been wise enough to not only write some very good blogs about what people in New Orleans have written or have told him personally, but also to cross-link with lots of the NOLA bloggers as well, giving them the press that I was griping about their needing. There is no sight of Chartreuse, Loren Feldman, or Team New Orleans here on the site. Also no explanation of this, though I think I can guess.
Chartreuse, 1938 Media, et al finally, a month or so after they had planned, made it down to New Orleans – I think. Anyway, Chartreuse is posting New Orleans entries on his own blog. Moreover, he’s been wise enough to invite several NOLA folks into his private space. Kudos for that. This is the way it should have been done to begin with.
The NOLA bloggers aren’t getting much more attention than they were at first, as far as I can tell. And Team New Orleans seems to be just Chartreuse and 1938, which is what I thought would happen.
So did my point get across? I think it did. At least the New Orleans folks are being treated as people, not as victims who don’t have a voice. I wish the blogosphere would pay more attention to the NOLA bloggers down there; they’re great, talented people. And it’s certain the media, with its Certain Attitude about bloggers, will not.
I guess the best thing we can do is not forget. I’m going to do the little bit I can, by writing about it and donating and raising awareness in my area and by volunteering for a day when I travel down there (all I can spare, alas). I’m not going to forget that bloggers live by different rules from the media, either. While the ideal for reporting is to remain objective and separate from the news, a blogger often IS the news. Bloggers are allowed to get passionate, lose objectivity, and even pitch in when things need to be done.
All in all, I like blogging better than I like reporting.
Thanks for the compliments. We’re doing what we can to make NewOrleansTruth a good blog. We are simply trying to help others know what challenges and successes are occurring in the New Orleans area, how they can help and where they can learn more.
Easton Ellsworth said this on October 4, 2006 1:26 am