Michael Yon and embedded journalism

I've been looking at the end of Michael Yon's embed with the British Army in Afghanistan including the views of Michael himself and the Ministry of Defence. It's a two-parter over at the Frontline Club - Part One and Part Two.

4 Rifles in Iraq last year

Michael Yon has written the final segment of his account of 4 Rifles deployment to Iraq last year. Part VIII follows the battalion to the border with Iran.

Guarding the border in sweltering heat was no easy task for the Rifles. According to Yon, 'we could probably put the entire Coalition on the Iraq-Iran border, and the area would not be sealed'.

'Blog-journalism': New York Times gets to grips with a 'blogging' rival

The New York Times has written an article profiling Michael Yon, a blogger or independent journalist, who has written numerous dispatches from Iraq. His reports are funded by readers who donate money on his website.

In the article, Yon says he didn't know what a blogger was when he started writing and that he was not a journalist.

Now, after several years covering the Iraq war, Yon 'insists that he still does not really know the rules of journalism, but says he has recently, grudgingly, accepted that he has become a journalist.'

The New York Times isn't sure how to describe Yon or his work either:

1. 'Like most bloggers...'
2. '....such citizen journalism...'
3. 'Internet journalist...'
   
4. Eventually appearing to decide that: 'he created a niche outlet', 'better reported than most blogs', and 'more opinionated than most news reporting'. His work put many 'professional journalists to shame.'

I wonder when Yon decided he had become a journalist? Is there a noticeable difference between his early work and his later dispatches? Can you categorise some of his writing as 'blogging' and other bits as 'journalism'?

It all suggests that blogging is more than merely a new platform for information. There appears to be some sort of identity associated with being a blogger and a different one for the journalist. Similarly, journalism is cast as being different from blogging and Michael Yon's work as somewhere in between the two.

The relationship between blogging and journalism is being formed by individuals like Yon and articles like these. Blogging is not usually journalism but it can be. And if a blog becomes recognised as journalism, does it cease to be blogging?

Perhaps there is a category of writing that sits between blogging and journalism - a sort of 'blog-journalism' - more opinionated and argumentative than most news journalism, but more factually reliable, better-researched, and generally more relevant (in a news sense) than many blogs.

The New York Times article can be found here.

Photoblog post of 4 Rifles in Basra

Last year, independent journalist, Michael Yon, was embedded with 4 Rifles in Basra and he's been writing up dispatches chronicling his time with the British Army.

Unlike the other parts, Part V is mainly a series of photos with commentary.

He begins by mentioning a conversation with William Rigby, whose identical twin brother, John, was killed in June.

4 Rifles in Basra in 2007

Parts III and IV of Michael Yon's dispatches from 4 Rifles deployment in Basra last year. You can find Parts I and II here if you missed them before.

4 Rifles in Basra

4 Rifles came home from Basra, Iraq last weekend after a six month tour of duty. If you want to find out what they've been up to for the last few months, Michael Yon, an 'independent' American journalist has been embedded with them. He's currently writing up a series of dispatches. Part One is introductory, providing some background on British operations in and around Basra. Part Two describes the battalion's first mission during the tour on 21 May.