Courses/Computer Science/CPSC 203/CPSC 203 2007Summer L60/CPSC 203 2007Summer L60 TermProjects/Political Blogs and Freedom of Information

Members

• Joshua Joseph
• Kalkidan Workneh
• Muneeb Sadiq

Project Statement

This project aims to investigate political blogs and uncover the contributions of this new age medium of communication. We will look at issues concerning censorship of this mass communication forum as well as its unforseen consequences. The degree of influence political bloggers wield and the impact of these blogs on the political system will also be analysed.

Arugment

The influence of media on the political process is undeniable. When a new form of mass communication is introduced it can change and challenge the way in which information is distributed. Political blogs are expected to have real consequences to the way in which politics is conducted in the real world. The uncensored nature of the medium allows bloggers to address issues that they are passionate about in duration. This type of power for the masses is unparalleled as it has not existed in the past. Therefore, real change can come about, as individuals and groups that previously did not have access to reach a large number of people are now able to do so.

What is a Blog?

Truncated from the word "weblog" the word blog basically refers to a journal that is available on the web. Merriam-Webster defines a "blog" as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflection comments and often hyperlinks" (qtd. in Sroka 6). A more precise description would define a blog to be "a web page with minimal to no external editing, providing on-line commentary, periodically updated and presented in reverse chronological order, with hyperlinks and other online sources (Drezner & Farrell 5)". Blogs can be divided into three categories;

1. K-Logs, which are mostly used for small pieces of information concerning knowledge and/or observations of a little

topic or product (e.g. issues concerning a piece of software),

1. Personal Journals, which reflect personal opinion on issues that concern the person writing the blog,
2. Filters, which describe observations and evaluations of "external, largely public events". (qtd. in Sroka 6)

The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog.

The exponentially growth of blogs have been alarming. From 1999 to 2000, the use of Blogs has increased from under fifty into the thousands respectively (Drezner & Farrell 5). Today there are millions of blogs (Jensen).

Political Blogs

Ploitical blogs are a recent phenomenon that gained prominence in the aftermath of the 2004 presidential elections in the United States. The lack of cost and censorship have been great motivators for encouraging those with political opinions to express them on their blogs. Political blogs employ a combination of Personal Journal and Filter styles to deal with real world issues and incorporate the bloggers' opinion.

Political Influence

One of the most debated issues concerning political blogs is their relevance. Although they present an undenible platform for the expression and discussion of politics, whether their debates translate to real politics remains unclear. Blogs that focus on the whistleblowing and scandal exposing aspect of politics wield power in the sense that they can jepordize policies as well as careers simply through the mass distrubtion of sensitive information. On the other hand, those blogs that focus mainly on discussion and articulation of political ideas might be excluded from the power their counterparts enjoy. This can be atributed to the diverse nature of their readers (i.e. not always the electorate). Thus although they provide an interesting platform for discussion, blogs critisizing the decisions of a certain administration or politicians might not generate the desired reaction that would cumulate in real change within the political world. This is to say that while Glenn Greenwald's blog might be valued and read by millions across the world, it is the few adult Americans that choose to go out and vote that can turn his political activism into reality. Thus the very international and diverse nature of web media can be a challenge for the possible political influence blogs can enjoy.

At the same time a new trend points out the reverse effect of blogs. Politicans who are always desparate to connect with the electorate are themselves starting blogs to invite public attention and discussion. They hope to increase their ability to interact with the public by writing about their stands on political issues and getting feedback.

"The blogs' combination of undiluted minutia, unvarnished opinon,name-naming and tomrrow's-news-today are a magnet, not only for voters but insiders" --Henry Copeland

Another venue for dissucssion has been the attempt by established media agencies like CNN and BBC to co-opt blogs for their own benefit. CNN in particular has used the blogsphere to invovle viewers in the interview process of politicians. Telejournalist Anderson Cooper who hosts the political show "Anderson Cooper 360" now authors a blog on the CNN website to expand on issues he brings up on the show.[[1]]

Political Credibility

One of the most important issues regarding political blogs has been the extent of their credibility. The anonymity provided by the internet has led many to speculate that their source of "news" could very well be a 12 year old boy from Ohio writing out of his parents' basement. Therefore, the more public the author of the blog, the more credibility can be attached to his/her opinons. However it remains difficult to differentiate between a legitimate source of opinon and an ill informed rant.

see Video Blogs - A.K.A. Vlogs

Anonymity

As in all forms of web media, the identity of the political blogger plays an important role. While some of the most read political blogs are authored by well known figures such as critic and writer Glenn Greenwald [[2]] and Andrew Sullivan [[3]] others prefer to remain anyonymous. The choice to remain anyonymous originates from the blogger's desire to self protect as well as the need to remain an undetected source of information within the political sphere. The perfect example of the anyonymous political blogger is the young Iraqi woman who authors Baghdad Burning. [[4]]

Scandals

Some bloggers have chosen an area within politics on which to focus their attention. The most common target of bloggers' attention are those political issues and personnel that are tied some form of a scandal. TPM Muckeracker [[5]] which specializes in exposing the Bush administrations political failures and their attempted cover ups uses the slogan "They've got muck. We've got rackes." Such types of blogs are not limited only to politics but dig deeper to expose the personal failures of politicians as well. For example, the scandal involving former Republican Congressman Mark Foley was highly disucssed within political blogs.

Jessica Cutler a 24 year old Washington DC staff assistant for Ohio Senator Mike Dewine who wrote a personal blog about her sexual exploits in Capital Hill. In her blog "The Washintonienne"[[6]] Cutler lay bare the stories of married politicans who paid her for the privilage of a sexual relationship with her. When her boss found out about her blog, she was fired from her job. Consequently, the thinly veiled monikers for her lovers were connected to real politicians causing a lot of havoc in the political circles of Washington.

Example of Scandal "exposed" in Blogs - Watergate Scandal

1. http://youtube.com/watch?v=mzRiOf_xr3Y

Censorship

Censorship is defined as the removal of information from the public which is usually controlled and is usually done by a religious group or political party. Cencership creates a moral dillema in the daily world as it takes away from freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Factors that come into play are human rights, abuse and repression. The idea of censorship arrose from early dictatorships in which the government had complete control of all information that was distributed to the nation. The governments of nations like China and the Soviet Union (now Russia) used censorship on a daily basis to benefit themselves and what they felt was benificial to the nation. Indoctrination was also a form of censorship as it was used in schools to brain wash children into believing that their nation was elite against all other nations. Most nations still try to employ censorship in order to cover up things and protect their citizens. However now adays there is almost always a way to find out the truth whether it be through books or the internet. There are many consequences to censorship and to suppressing the public from information. Not only does freedom of speech and expression come into play but it also plays a factor in human rights as sheltering information from the public can in some cases end up damaging the public more than affecting them for the better. In older times when some one would try to realease information which was meant to be kept censored it created harmful conditions for the person as they would be thrown in jail or in extreme conditions even executed.

Censorship in China

China's communist government has struggled to rein in free discussion in the blogosphere. At the same time the explosive growth of the medium as a favourite means of circumventing strict censorship in the entirely state-controlled press has exacerbated the situation. One form of blog censorship employed by the Chinese government has been to scan each blog originating in the country (on certain servers) for keywords and automatically censoring them in the prepost stage. Another mehtod has been to simply block blog hosting websites in order to deter the public from developing a taste for blogging. In may 2007 China blocked popular blogsite LiveJournal in an effort to cut off around 8,692 Chinese bloggers who may or may not choose to profess political opinions on their personal blogs.

The Future of Blogs

Tagging

Until recently, most blogs used “Rich Site Summary” (RSS) feeds to use inform readers about new entries [[7]]. Now blogs are starting to use a technology called “Tagging” which enables a use to track down specific blogs [[8]]. Through this technology, a user can label their blog with a word. The process of doing so is “Tagging” and the label assigned to the blog is called the “Tag”. Other users are then able to type the Tag into the weblog search engine to find all blogs with that specific tag. Tagging is used for many websites (e.g. facebook) and it won’t be long until ALL weblogs use this technology.

Video Blogs - A.K.A. Vlogs

Video blogs, also called vlogs, is the newest form of a blog. Bloggers (now called vloggers) are now able to load video stating their opinion, rather then written them down. Through this new form, viewers are able to see more then what is merely being stated in the log entry. By viewing the material, rather then reading, the viewer can see how serious the vlogger is taking the subject (by seeing the amount of effort he/she puts into the vlog) and who the vlogger is (i.e. celebrity, politician, not a 12-year-old boy). This aspect can add to the credibility of the vlog statement.

You tube has dedicated a special domain entirely devoted to political vlogs called “CitizenTube” [9], covering virtually all fields of politics ([10]).

Youtube is also trying to influence the upcoming US 2008 election with their new field YouChoose '08.[11]. Here, members of youtube load a video with a question concerning the 2008 election, and the 2008 candidates respond [12]

YouTube Vlog about YouTube's Vlog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9yKiHXph9w

Example of Political Vlog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMyr2SDUXNg

Conclusion

As a new and powerful medium, blogs (particularly political blogs) influence interactions between politics and the general public. An important contribution of blogs has been the immediate feedback they generate. People from all walks of life, are able to voice their otherwise unheard, opinion on a number of issues. Politicians can monitor blogs, which enable them to observe general public opinion regarding possible policies and political actions.

Blogs can give political leverage to the average citizen, empowering them to influence public policy in various ways; whistle-blowing and scandal exposure are examples of such power.

It can be anticipated that the future of blog-influence can grow exponentially, not only because it has in the past, but because persistent advancement in technology in continues to evolve the blog into a more powerful medium. The introduction of Tagging and the Vlog are examples of such technology

References

1. http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~farrell/blogpaperfinal.pdf
2. http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2005/06/blogs-role-in-political-campaigns.html
3. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-5432879.html
4. http://www.politicsandtechnology.com/2005/11/2006_the_rise_o.html
5. http://www.sixtysecondview.com/?p=38
6. http://www.newsobserver.com/161/story/538855.html
7. http://www.ipdi.org/UploadedFiles/PoliticalInfluenceofBlogs.pdf
8. http://cjrarchives.org/issues/2003/5/blog-jensen.asp?printerfriendly=yes
9. http://www.prdirect.ca/en/view_release.aspx?TrafficID=3370
10. http://www.wonkette.com
11. http://www.dailykos.com
12. http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com
13. http://www.andrewsullivan.com
14. http://www.salon.com
15. http://www.talkleft.com/story/2006/01/20/119/69263
16. http://washingtoniennearchive.blogspot.com
17. http://www.glbtq.com/arts/censorship_in_arts.html
18. http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2005/02/the_future_of_b.html
19. http://many.corante.com/archives/2004/07/24/blog_censorship_and_expression.php
20. http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/anderson.cooper.360/blog/
21. http://vlog.tv
22. http://www.impactchannel.com/about_ILC.htm
23. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/
24. http://www.electiongeek.com/blog/

Political Blog Survey

1. http://www.blogads.com/survey/blog_reader_surveys_overview.html

Books

1. Keren, Michael, Blogosphere: The New Political Arena, Lexington Books 2006.

Journals

1. MacDougall, Robert. "Identity, Electronic Ethos, and Blogs. A Technologic Analysis of Symbolic Exchange on the New News Medium." American Behavioral Scientist 49, no. 4 (2005): 575-599.
2. Kulikova,Svetlana, and David D. Permutter "Blogging Down The Dictator? The Kyrgyz Revolution and Samizdat Websites." International Communication Gazette 69, no. 1 (2007): 29-50.
3. Sroka, T. Neil Sroka. "Understanding the Political Influence of BlogsInstitute for Politics, Deocracy, & the Internet (2007), http://www.ipdi.org/UploadedFiles/PoliticalInfluenceofBlogs.pdf. (accessed August 11, 2007).
4. Drezner, Daniel W, and Henry Farrell. "The Power and Politics of Blogs," (2004): http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~farrell/blogpaperfinal.pdf (accessed August 11, 2007).