I used to write a lot of poetry when I was a kid but hey, who has time now. Every once in a while, I get an idea for a poem and I can't concentrate on anything else until I get it written.
I suppose this is a humorous poem - at least I thought it was. I believe there really is a battle going on between us and the media. Although I would say we were winning, there was an editorial in my local newspaper denying bloggers were anything like journalists. The whole basis for his argument against blogs is that he doesn't read them and neither does anyone else he knows. Geez, what a limited world he must live in.
Anyway, this poem was fun to write and I hope you enjoy it!
In days of old, the daily news
Was delivered up to your front door
But the smudges of ink on fingers everywhere
Are gone forever more.
TV Journalism, the next best thing
Came on at 6:00 each night
Oh those beautiful people without any brains
Just don't know their left from their right.
A new kid in town changed the scene:
News with your own point-of-view
Each person a voice, each voice a page
Til the bloggers just grew and grew.
A remarkable farce in today's news world
The TV and papers, in all their glory,
`Stead of reporting the news, they report the views
Of the bloggers and call it a story.
But the battle's begun `tween the old and the young
For the title of trusted news source.
The journalists yell "they're just people", and well
The bloggers ignore them, of course.
The media claims they have training from school
And experience that cannot be equated.
But bloggers well know that their readers still grow
And experience can be over rated.
A blogger's choice weapon is the well written blog
Posted in the blink of an eye.
Read by millions you see, and when some disagree
They post blogs of their own in reply.
The media's claim to fame is to be first on the story
Before others can catch a hint.
Since the bloggers are faster, they've become the master
At catching a story's scent.
But bloggers work together on stories
And often post links to another site.
Give credit when due, it'll come back to you
Whenever you're wrong or you're right.
The main difference I guess, tween the old and the new
Is not the stories or formats we write,
But the old sure competes, while the new posts their links
So bloggers: continue, unite!