Are bloggers legit, or do the newspapers and television rule the word of sports.

For several years a debate ongoing still to day has pitted the blogger against the news print and some of those in television. The question is. Is blogging a legit form of news and do bloggers have or deserve a say in the news that is reported to you the reader?

There is a small group called Hockey bloggers over at Facebook, an online community not unlike that of MySpace or Capazoo. There people discuss the ideas of bloggers having rights with their team as do those who report the news in print or video form. I am sure this idea so ruffles the feathers who are allowed to follow the team around and report breaking news to us the fans. That is great and wonderful but we only get to read their take on the information they hand out and many questions go unasked or unreported.

I will give several examples of a blackball effort by a team and those connected to the team. First off last year, just prior to the start of the season I sent an email to the Senior Director of Communications asking to have a few questions answered by two players. Now just to give a little history I write an article for my local newspaper and am a published author. I meet the same standards as those who work for big city papers.

This is the response sent to me. Dear Anthony, thank you for your interest in the team. I am sorry we can not allow you to speak with our players as we do not cater to bloggers and we do not see this changing in the future. I was shocked to say the least but I did garner a response and thought to myself I don’t get it but hey move on and find another way.

I then had a sort of light bulb moment. I decided to write to a television personality and do a story on what it takes for a broadcaster to get ready for the game. What happens during the day so the game they call comes off without a hitch. I sent that email out on September 21, 2007. I am still waiting on a response. I then emailed a writer for a large city paper. I wanted to do a story on their experiences, you know like what was the greatest moment in your reporting career, and so on. I received an email response and was invited to call. I called and after several days on leaving messages and missing one another on the phone, contact was made and this was what was said. Is this an interview for a radio show? I was asked to call back a few hours later and guess what; I can no longer get that person to return my calls.

Now there are some out there who would just give up and move on. I am not one of those people. I write for a paper, I write and post information on my blog and if my newspaper and blogging being tied together get me now where then so be it. I know there are some blogs out there that take things to the extreme but the majority of them are very good. I was very please to read a story I first seen over at Kukla’s Korner and it was written by Bruce MacLeaod at Red Wings Corner and guess what, he also writes for a large paper and is associated with a blog.

Who in this secret fraternity has the right to blackball others for the sake of hoarding the information and news others crave. Many teams out there love the fact that the fans are hooked and it sells tickets and fills seats. Many of the players have taken to blogging and talking with fans, many have site on MySpace and Capazoo. They filter out the crackpots and jerks but give a great insight as to what they are experiencing at the moment.

I am sure the players would not mind answering a few more questions, being part of one more interview or even giving the exclusive story once in a while. Why team owners, general managers and media directors don’t embrace bloggers is beyond me and giving up a little information to make those loyal fans and readers get the information they crave. Giving into lets say four or five bloggers once every week or two would not kill anyone, yet legit questions could get answered and more information gets out to the public. I am not advocating every blogger getting access. A screening process would be essential and only those who have a legit track record could or would have access to teams and management.

If I follow those around the blogging world, some are getting inside the teams locker room, they are seen as a legit form of news and information and some teams have even extended a space in the press box to bloggers. It’s not sweeping the hockey scene like gangbusters but I have not read any issues either from having those people in a seat within press row.

One last thing about the current arrangement of newspaper beat writers and television broadcasters. You read blogs, you know you do, you check to see how many people are using your trackbacks or permalinks. Stats are important to you and you would steal an idea and make it your own faster than the corner hooker taking your $ 20.00. Why do you despise bloggers, are they cutting into your readers, your circulation. Well move on, the post office took a hit by those of us that use email over snail mail. The computer and internet are going to take over your papers down the road and I will live to see many major papers fold for lack of circulation and most of you work for news agencies that have an online version anyway.

Accept that bloggers are here to stay and don’t be surprised is one day you are on the outside looking in. Let’s just remember this! The fans are what get, keep and allow you to have a job in the first place and you have to be a fan and know the sport to be an authentic writer to begin with.