Legal reporter blogs tell more

A legal beat reporter’s blog may be more effective than a story in the next day’s (week’s in some cases) newspaper, per Wayne Ezell’s story in this morning’s Jacksonville Times-Union.

Among other reporters, Ezell referenced the work of reporter Gordon Jackson, who blogged from inside a Georgia courtroom about a high-profile murder case and highlighted the advantages of reporter’s blogs.

First, the reporter provides more information and insight than can be found in news stories constrained by space and the restrictions of traditional straight-forward writing style.

Jackson wrote in greater depth about the trial of physician Noel Chua, for example, providing more details about each witness’s testimony than would get into the print edition……

Second, blogs foster interactions with readers, even from afar……..

Finally, blogging allows writers to be more informal and more venturesome in their reporting, even as they take care not to lapse into commentary and opinion.

I agree wholeheartedly with Times-Union Editor, Pat Yack, “Done right – timely and crisply – blogs do have a great value.”