Letter: Government blogs work
Bangor Daily News, November 15, 2007
(excerpt) Online blogs by government officials are ultimately beneficial to the public because they function as an additional outlet of information about our government, whether or not the information is "honest or accurate."
In a BDN article on Oct. 22, Michael X. Delli Carpini, dean of the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Pennsylvania said that in blogs, public officials are usually promoting policies and not offering honest reflections of what is going on. This skepticism should exist regardless of the medium in which the information is communicated.
The public can comment on the blogs of Michael Chertoff and Mike Leavitt, the first two members of President Bush’s Cabinet to post blogs. I agree with Carpini when he says this feature encourages public discourse; people interacting with the government in a unique way. In addition, the more information outlets the public has access to, the less media monopolies and agenda setting will affect what we understand about our government.
Even if this form of communication between the government and the public does not contribute to forming a more democratic society, the support of blogging in general is democratic, as established in the Constitution.
(excerpt) Online blogs by government officials are ultimately beneficial to the public because they function as an additional outlet of information about our government, whether or not the information is "honest or accurate."
In a BDN article on Oct. 22, Michael X. Delli Carpini, dean of the Annenberg School for Communications at the University of Pennsylvania said that in blogs, public officials are usually promoting policies and not offering honest reflections of what is going on. This skepticism should exist regardless of the medium in which the information is communicated.
The public can comment on the blogs of Michael Chertoff and Mike Leavitt, the first two members of President Bush’s Cabinet to post blogs. I agree with Carpini when he says this feature encourages public discourse; people interacting with the government in a unique way. In addition, the more information outlets the public has access to, the less media monopolies and agenda setting will affect what we understand about our government.
Even if this form of communication between the government and the public does not contribute to forming a more democratic society, the support of blogging in general is democratic, as established in the Constitution.
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