回歸基本:Blog是甚麼?

不要被這個題目嚇倒。我無意亦沒有太多時間,參與近日有關Blog文化、公海與BSP網誌之類的討論,因為這篇文章純粹是從一宗新聞事件出發。

話說美國總統布殊,周三到訪「全國牧畜者牛肉協會」(National Cattlemen’s Beef Association)並發表演說,但是他談的卻是伊拉克問題--倒有點真的「對牛彈琴」的感覺。布殊一談伊拉克問題,往往都是「三幅被」,來來去去都是那幾個唱好、堅守、不撤軍的調子,當布殊講到伊拉克的治安情況,在他宣布「增兵」方案後有所改善時,他突然引述來自巴格達的網誌的內容:

「巴格達有網誌作者,一如這裡也有一樣...流離失所的家庭正重返家園,市集日趨繁盛,久未開門的商店已經啟市,我們在市內走動也更感安全。我們希望這些努力得成正果。」

通訊社的報道稱,這可是布殊在演說中,頭一遭引述網誌的內容。不過最令人奇怪的,是這段文字的來源究竟是哪兒?布殊在演講中隻字未提,結果白宮後來要為布殊的言論「解畫」--其實文字的出處,是《華爾街日報》月初的一篇文章,作者是一對住在巴格達、姓法迪勒的兄弟,他們也確是網誌作者,名字就叫做Iraq the Model。報道說,法迪勒兄弟曾在二零零四年到白宮與布殊會面。

讀到這點,我的懷疑論又發作了:布殊是不是又再一次Cherry Picking呢?報道沒有提供答案,反而美聯社的報道卻有一段文字令我引起很大興趣,我不譯為中文了,各位可以從原文感受:

Blogs are Web sites that tend to be narrow in focus and directed at a niche audience. Most operate without editors and give instant reaction to the news. Their freewheeling, open nature makes them popular but also ripe for unverified statements.

這一段有關網誌的論述,確是與我們的認知(例如與兩年前的Blog is Blog事件)有點出入,但是我不解的,是為何這則通訊的記者,會對網誌這回事有如此負面的態度?是純粹因應對布殊所引用的網誌作者立場有懷疑而出發,還是一個一般論的觀察?抑或是Blog的發展已經到達這樣的「境界」?

我感到十分奇怪。

Comments

comments

6 Responses to “回歸基本:Blog是甚麼?”


  • using Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.3 on Mac OS X Mac OS X Mach

    呵呵,我還以為Alex也出手了。

  • using Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.3 on Windows Windows XP

    哇~ AP記者的那個回應有很「酸」的味道哦!

  • using Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.10 on Windows Windows XP

    美聯社說明blog既來源係不可靠, 先可以帶出對bush引用blog內容作公開談話既側疑 , 我相信只係錦

  • using Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox 2.0.0.3 on Windows Windows XP

    you could try googling ‘iraq the model’ for the controversial nature. basically, as you might expect, there are three types of iraqi bloggers:

    (1) propagandadists who say things have been fantastic since the liberation; ‘iraq the model’ is supposedly in this class (but you can read for yourself). more generally, bloggers lose credibility when they are funded to travel in the USA to give speech about the rosy situation in Iraq today. AP, Reuters and McClatchy are filing reports about daily death tolls and none of that would appear in the propagandastic blogs.

    (2) There are also those who say that nothing good whatsoever has come out of the American occupation and that the current government is a puppet regime. An example might be Riverbend (“Baghdad Burning”). Well, it is hard to blog when electricity comes on two hours a day and a woman cannot get a job (Riverbend used to be an IT worker but nobody will hire a woman nowadays).

    (3) Then you have the third class who refuse to discuss politics, but will adhere strictly to the depictions of daily life in Iraq in these abnormal times.

    Should the AP reporter be skeptical about ‘Iraq the Model’? There is plenty of people out there who would agree with that assessment. The only issue is whether that had any place in this news report.

  • using Internet Explorer Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows Windows XP

    BLOG的本質,是真實和信任.

  • using Mozilla Firefox Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.10 on Windows Windows XP

    羊狼: 錦都比你諗到?

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