VIA TWITTER, my mobile phone tells me that Robert Scoble uses a technology that affects campaigns--political campaigns like the one he's following and marketing campaigns like ones spotlighted by Irish bloggers. Scoble's first-hand experience, while seated beside a seasoned journalist, spotlights two facets that also affect Irish journos. First, journalists can no longer assume they write just for paper. Updates port to breaking news sites as they hit the subeditor's desk. And all the talking heads end up interviewing journalists. That's especially true in Ireland where I sometimes wonder why I'm listening to something I read already.
Second, leading newspapers want their journos to produce podcasts and video blogs too, or to recommend opportunities that attract these media onto the broadsheet’s pages. That's one reason why the Limerick Leader, Kilkenny People, and The Irish Times scrape copy from blogs.
The age of mass audience has departed. We're into a realm where comments made to small audiences often pre-empt the set pieces on mainstream news bulletins. Hit a press scrum today in the States, and Scoble says you'll see "dozens of different camera crews show up, along with dozens more of print journalists, photographers, everyday citizens, and radio journalists".
How long before a blogger with a mic flag appears on the steps of Leinster House for a debriefing? We took a crew of two into the Clinton book signing a few years ago and saw how relatively straightforward it was to push shoulder-to-shoulder with RTE at the media barrier. It's something we'll do with a government minister next month too.
Robert Scoble -- "Sitting with the Washington Post"
