The pace of life in the Blogosphere has changed. The house seems more serene; peaceful even – and purposeful.

I would venture to suggest that Bloggers have grown up; the truculent adolescents with their monosyllabic chant of ‘shan’t’, ‘won’t’, ‘don’t like it’ have left home, off to wave banners and utter two word comments on Twitter.

In their place is a new breed of Blogger. More thoughtful, less prone to knee jerk reactions, with a dedicated purpose to their prose – that of enlightenment in some corner of life that the main stream media are unable/unwilling to cover in any meaningful depth.

I have highlighted the excellent Saddleworth News before – no single element of the main stream media can begin to compete with the coverage Richard has been able to provide to those interested in the saga of the Saddleworth and Oldham by-election; informed, ahead of the pack, with unique photographs, biographies of all the main players – even the weather reports for those planning to visit the arena. Exemplary.

In a similar vein, we must commend James Doleman for his encyclopaedic coverage of the Sheridan trial. In the three months since it began, the blog has been mentioned in the Scottish parliament, received half a million page views and raised new questions about the role of social media in reporting the administration of Scottish justice. It was not just the blog itself, but the hundreds of comments which it attracted that gave an informed – and commendably balanced, given that Doleman is himself a committed socialist – insight into the myriad complexities of the internal power struggles surrounding the prosecution of Sheridan.

Who can doubt that amongst the 13,000 a day readers of Doleman’s blog were those whose profession is allegedly providing information to the public – the accredited journalists. As Doleman himself has said – “I knew that if I made a factual mistake someone would spot it and post a comment correcting it. I didn’t have any subeditors, but I had thousands of fact-checkers”. A self correcting authoritative source no less.

Dizzy has highlighted the multiple ‘coincidences’ of stories appearing in the Daily Mail which prove to have word for word similarities to his own blog entries – though I note this morning that The Telegraph has had the decency to at least credit Dizzy as its source – perhaps we are entering a new era?

My own story on Steven Neary attracted an incredible 43,684 readers for a single blog post – which completely spooked me at first, but then I realised that there are many, many people in the world who have an interest in autism, and the plural effect of the facility to deprive someone of their liberty occasioned by the Mental Capacity Act – with none of the provisions of the Mental Health Act. A subject that is avoided like the plague by the main stream media. I have little doubt that when they do get around to covering the subject, journalists will be accessing the many stories I have filed under the ‘Court of Protection’ tab for background information.

Much of the main stream media has disappeared behind a pay wall, apparently in revenge for the on-line community ‘getting their news for free’ – it would appear to be the other way round! It is the niche bloggers who are providing the news to the journalists. Guido’s site is regularly plundered for inspiration and entire story lines.

They – the MSM – are the first to cry when they think their stories are being lifted; there is currently a complaint registered with the Press Association concerning an exclusive interview with David Yeates, father of the murdered Joanna Yeates, carried out by the Solent News and Photo Agency. One of the papers that the agency sold its story to was the Southern Daily Echo. Within minutes it reappeared on the Press Association wire under the by-line ‘Rod Minchin’. From there it propagated to the Daily Mirror and on to multiple news sites – with ne’er a mention of the names of the reporters who had secured the original story, let alone payment.  Solent is now considering taking legal action for breach of copyright.

It is time to break down the artificial walls between blogging and journalism; I have reported before on the laughable efforts to see access to parliament for bloggers defeated. Doleman reports in the Guardian today on the initial efforts to ‘lock him out’ of reporting on the case on the grounds that he wasn’t an accredited member of the press.

Elsewhere we have the case of the bribery and extradition case at Westminster Magistrates court, where Guardian journalists have challenged the rejection of their appeal to have access to skeleton arguments, affidavits, witness statements, and correspondence relevant to the trail. This in itself has thrown up the curious and, I suspect, previously unknown fact, that in civil litigation the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 allows them access to documentation that has not been read aloud in open court. Not just journalists either – but members of the public – this is surely a rich seam of factual information for an enterprising blogger? However, for some reason, the Criminal Procedure Rules 2010 do not provide such access; an anomaly given that when the State is prosecuting a citizen and possibly depriving him of his liberty, there is a greater need for transparency?

The Blog Society has changed – it is way past time for the main stream media to reflect that change and acknowledge their sources. Their current attitude is just making them look petty.

We have changed – you should too.

UPDATE: You may never see this again – HERE – Anna Raccoon more highly ranked than Guido or Iain Dale? Who’d a thought it?

The downside is that the only way forward from here is downwards……

I might even have a glass of champagne on the strength of that! Cheers readers!

Eleanor January 7, 2011 at 16:25

So, you’ve still got one to go, Anna. But it’s only January the 7th.

I am so very pleased for you, especially because I don’t think that this
was your original aim.

Richard B January
6, 2011 at 23:03

Well done, Anna!

Dick the Prick
January 6, 2011 at 22:26

Bravo! About time too. Well done.

JuliaM January 6,
2011 at 21:59

“UPDATE: You may never see this again – HERE – Anna Raccoon more highly
ranked than Guido or Iain Dale? Who’d a thought it?”

Anyone with taste and discernment…

Congratulations!

Joe Public January 6, 2011 at 20:57

And it was only a short while ago you were thinking of jacking it in!

1. Congrats.

2. Iain Dale’s blog. Isn’t that now just wall-to-wall puffing of &
about his other jobs?

Jiks January 6, 2011 at 20:13

Earlier bloggers had important things to say but damaged their message by
too much swearing, ghastly personal attacks, etc. which damaged the
message.

Not mentioning any names but one guy did more to convince me that global
warming was a con than anyone else. However, I couldn’t say my to colleagues
(at a very large energy corp who conceivable might have been able to influence
the debate) “look at this blog” as the amount of ****s and ****s all over it
would have made them dismiss it all out of hand.

So, I too welcome the more adult state of the blogsphere we now appear to
find ourselves in.

Michael January 6, 2011 at 19:59

Only number two. I don’t get it?

Anna
Raccoon January 6, 2011 at 20:05

That is exactly what my Father would have said, exactly…….

Subrosa January 6,
2011 at 16:42

Well done Anna. I’d have a few glasses.

Quite agree about James Dolman and in particular the courtesy he paid to
all his commenters. I notice bloggers are now beginning to interact with their
commenters (except Guido of course!), but that was part of the reason for my
own blogging. I used to comment on others and never had even a thank you. As I
found that rather rude I thought I will start one and do my utmost to
acknowledge every commenter. After all they take the trouble to comment. Seems
I started a trend but one which I know is appreciated.

Laurent January
6, 2011 at 16:54

if i may say what everyone knows, Guido is only interested in himself and
MONEY. i have quite a fun story about him and me. i’ll keep it for later on
my english blog. Guido the embodiment of cynism, yes.

Guido
Fawkes January 8, 2011 at 01:08

But not necessarily in that order.

AnnaNonAMoose
January 6, 2011 at 16:40

All I know is I read more introspective and thoughtful actual honest news
analysis on the blogosphere these days than the copy/paste non-chalant
mainstream media seems capable of producing.

It’s like the mainstream has been dumbed down to the point of propaganda
regurgitation – while the blogosphere has been able to upgrade itself from
backstream commenting to providing the quality of journalism and investigative
analysis the mainstream used to be able to provide decades earlier before it
became corrupted and turned into a propaganda press, more worthy for wrapping
fish than for reading.

Anna Raccoon is of course amongst some of the better blogsites out there
and a thoroughly enjoyable daily read.

Andrew P Withers
January 6, 2011 at 15:26

Dead chuffed !

Michael
Fowke January 6, 2011 at 15:15

Good post, but not every blogger wants to be a journalist – or to compete
with them. The thing about blogs is that they can be whatever you want them to
be.

Laurent January 6,
2011 at 15:04

i think Twitter helped a little, but mostly your relentless efforts and
talent, as always
amicalement

))))

James
Doleman January 6, 2011 at 15:00

Sorry that should have been “kind words”

Anna
Raccoon January 6, 2011 at 15:01

I was just wondering whether I ought to edit that for you James, – since
I really wasn’t kidding!

James
Doleman January 6, 2011 at
16:23

After you saying how accurate I was as well

*blush*

James
Doleman January 6, 2011 at 14:54

Thanks for the kid words

all the best

James

Hysteria January 6, 2011 at 14:49

But – on the other hand……..

does any of this make any difference – ? BoM yesterday had the sad news
that Wat Tyler is packing it in (for now – hopefully). Some of the commentary
(mine included) were making the point that the “powers that be” seem to
continue regardless. “It doesn’t matter who you vote for, the government
always gets in” seemed never so true as today , despite the greater access to
information and (relative) transparency.

How do we actually influence a change……?

And no – chanting “Hope and Change” and “Yes We Can” loudly doesn’t really
do it for me!

Hysteria January 6, 2011 at 15:03

and this post (here in the US) seems apposite

http://urgentagenda.com/
(QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 9:02
A.M. ET)

The
Grim Reaper January 6, 2011 at
14:38

The blogosphere does seem almost like it’s entering a different era to me
as well and I have to admit I am generally finding the quality of blogging
material is going up. And yes, I’ve definitely noticed you can’t get away with
making mistakes – been taken to task myself a few times.

Looking at the Wikio ratings, I appear to be at number 216 in the list.
This despite the fact I’m always beseiged by complaints I don’t write enough
political stuff. Weird.

lenko January 6, 2011 at 14:04

Yes, congrats Anna — all the hard work and perspiration finally paying off.
One day we will be able to tell othedrs “I knew her BEFORE they damed
her!”

Gildas the Monk
January 6, 2011 at 14:01

Congratulations! Without wishing to blow smoke up the a*** of La Raccoon,
what is great is that this blog allows people of sensible and intellgient
views to post on a wide variety of issues and in expressing themselves, to
inform, learn and entertain. In this and the other blogs mentioned above there
is a responsible exchange of information and views which I think is a becoming
a potent force for good, outside the usual channels and vested interests. And
as an occasional poster, I have learned you’d better get your facts and
grammer and spelling right!
Well done again!

gladiolys January 6, 2011 at 14:20

Grammar.
(sorry. x)

gladiolys January 6, 2011 at 14:21

Or were you double-bluffing with added irony?

Gloria Smudd
January 6, 2011 at 20:30

Gildas may be ‘touch-typing’: he’s just that typo.

Gildas the
Monk January 7, 2011 at 11:57

I think my point is proved!
Monks should not try to multitask
!