Weblogs and Journalism: an uneasy relation (the Portuguese case)

Abstract

Portugal’s adherence to weblogs has experienced both an explosion and a shift in nature in 2003. Indeed, the year began with less than 200 registered weblogs and ended with more than 3000. The initial close knit community, where weblogs were predominantly used for personal expression, gave way to a more heterogeneous one, with some newcomers assuming the activity in a semi-professional manner. People with a special interest in the dissemination of information were amongst this group fuelling a debate (or debates) on weblogs as a new form of journalism (unedited and participatory) and on the role of traditional media. The first national weblog meeting – which took place at Universidade do Minho – reflected such discussions further. In this paper – produced under the scope of an ongoing project of observation of media and society interaction in Portugal, Mediascópio – we will depart from an analysis of media reports and weblogs’ posts to present an exploratory framework of the intersections between Portuguese journalism and weblogs and try to discuss possible symptoms of change in the perception that journalists have of their audiences.