Abdul-Mageed, M. M. & Ringrose, P. (2009, October 7-11). Media Warblogs: Inside the Israeli and Lebanese blogosphere. A paper accepted for presentation at the 10th annual conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (Internet Research 10.0 - Internet: Critical). Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Blogging is playing an increasingly significant role in media coverage of war. This reflects long-term trends in the Internet use that are profoundly affecting the way news is created and consumed (Ward 2007). Traditional media has evolved from transferring content online to experimenting with ways of embracing the Internet. The 2006 Lebanon war is part of this new phase, with global media outlets profiling prominent Israeli and Lebanese bloggers who were covering the war, featuring stories ran by them, and reporting their communications.
The special significance of war blogging arises from the fact that it answers the exceptional communication demands created by war (e.g., the need to investigate the scope and degree of military action, the impacts and risks on the future, and the safety of family and loved ones (Thewall & Stuart, 2007)). More importantly, war blogging often sets the agenda for mainstream media (Berenger, 2006), due to bloggers’ priviledged access to war zones, the highly localized stories they report, and the observably fast speed with which they digitize war information. Read more...
