Sam Mellinger on blogs, new media, old media, etc. Part I
I get the feeling I’m walking into a deathtrap by writing a term paper about sports blogs, because this professor of mine seems to despise blogs and the people who write them. So I thought I’d bolster my paper with thoughts from someone whose excellent work appears in print as well as online. Sam Mellinger is one of the many talented sports writers for the Kansas City Star and writes Ball Star, an insightful Royals blog. He is officially awesome, because he gave me some thorough, thoughtful answers that were too good to not share.
Here is Part I:
Minda: When did the Star start supplementing its regular sports section with blogs? What, to your knowledge, prompted the paper to start publishing blogs?
Sam: Not sure I can give you a date. More than five years, for sure, though there’s been an increased focus the last year or two. I’m sure what prompted it is the same as everywhere else — a belated realization that our online product is not only the future, but the present.
Why were you interested in doing a blog for the Star?
Oh, a lot of reasons — selfish and selfless. I care deeply about our paper, I grew up reading it and it’s the only place I’ve worked since college. On a professional level, it’s essential for writers and reporters — especially in sports, I believe — to connect with readers. We need to get out of that metaphorical ivory tower and show a genuine interest to interact with our readers, because they’re the reasons we’re
able to have these silly jobs. I think it’s an essential help in establishing a connection and conversation with readers. The rules are different in blogs, so you can explain certain things or certain perspectives differently and sometimes better.
Also, and here is the selfish reason, there’s never been more demand for what we do, or pressure on us to produce or lose our jobs. The best way to establish job security is to make yourself into “a brand,” and creating a worthwhile blog is a good way to do that.
I have mixed feelings about this. I think we’re better than some, but too far behind more, in particular the Lawrence Journal-World and Washington Post — the best in the business at sports coverage on the
web. On the other hand, I do think we’re one of the best in the country and incorporating non-traditional coverage into our print edition, though this is probably a whole different topic.
I guess the simplest way to put it, I think our online content is average to above average, but our website could use a lot of improvement. It’s hard to find things you’re looking for sometimes, and we don’t currently have a good way to tell whether clicking that link will take you to a two-inch note we got off the wire or a ground-breaking 60-inch takeout that one of our talented reporters spent weeks on.
My bias should be obvious here, but I feel pretty strongly that we have one of the best printed sports sections in the country (I’m not a horn-tooter, but feel comfortable saying that because it’d still be true if I was never lucky enough to work here). I know we have people working hard to improve our website and have it catch up to the printed product, and I’m looking forward to when that happens.
First of all, I think Buzz’s message in a lot of ways was a good one, but ultimately lost because of the unfortunate way he presented himself (which he has since profusely apologized for). Buzz Bissinger is a
writing giant, and no matter what blogs or web-only publications do, Buzz will be vacationing on a beach sipping mai tais whenever he feels like it.
I hate hearing “traditional” journalists blindly blast away at blogs as much as I hate hearing blogs blindly blast away at “traditional” media. Both sides, at the extremes, come off ignorant. There are some amazing
journalists who can do things a blogger could only dream of, and there are some amazing bloggers who do our full-time jobs better than some of us in their spare time. There are also lazy and dangerous members of
both groups.
The parents’ basement jokes are stale and miss the point, just like the mustard-stained free golf shirt jokes. Blogs and traditional media can co-exist — and, more to the point, MUST co-exist — and it’s silly for
either side to think otherwise.
The rules are changing, and traditional journalists need to accept that. And traditional media outlets who do their jobs well provide a service and insight that virtually no blog anywhere can match, and they need to
accept that.
I can’t imagine that blogs will ever “kill,” to use your word, traditional media. I certainly hope not, and not just because I’d like to continue getting paid 
For the most part, it takes trained and experienced and hungry and focused reporters to break news, serve as watch dogs, and uncover companies and organizations and government misdeeds. If traditional media goes away, so does that essential service that the good ones serve.
There are some very good blogs out there that may help fill a hole here or there, but not even close to what good journalists can provide.
My favorite blogs are the ones that aggregate good stories from around the web (from newspapers, magazines, blogs and web-only publications all) serve as a bit of an extension of traditional news media, provide a fan’s perspective, or do thoughtful research that I wouldn’t or couldn’t have come up with. There’s a lot of them out there, some really good stuff everywhere, and I think the best ones typically recognize the
service and work that the best traditional media outlets provide.
It’s in the best interest of both sides to co-exist, which is why it irritates me when members of each side get into this cyber pissing match (pardon the language), recycling old jokes and using fundamentally false
arguments that went stale before there was wireless internet. Both sides are guilty of it, too.
Look for Part II, in which Mellinger discusses media access and his favorite blogs, Saturday.