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Before the popularity of blogging and the internet the main sources of news were television and newspapers. The content and perspective of the news was decided by the media. It was easy for them to stretch the truth, omit important issues, portray problems as more or less serious than reality, and show the point of view that they wanted the public to see.

The internet changed the way our news was delivered, and blogs in particular have affected the news industry greatly. Unlike before where some executive decided what the country should and shouldn't be told about, it is now possible for any individual to publish news on the internet.

This has changed the news industry dramatically from a consumers point of view. The executives can still try to control which stories are published and which point of view to portray, but online we can find the real truths more easily.

Not only can we find out what happened from various view points, we can read individual people's thoughts and feelings about the stories. We can see what various experts think about situations and events, as well as the general public opinions.

Another benefit for consumers is that we can filter the types of news we choose to read. Television news often shows world events, sporting events and a weather forecast, as well as some local stories they feel are important. Blogs allow us to choose which news we read and which we don't. For example, I have no interest in sports news, I would rather read about news from the computer industry and other topics not featured so much in the general media.

I can read just the types of news I want to know about and ignore those that I'm simply not interested in simply by choosing which blogs to subscribe to. I can choose to read blogs written by people of similar beliefs to my own and ignore the opinions of those who see things from opposite points of view. Alternatively I could choose to subscribe to blogs which tell news from various view points to gain a wider perspective. I can choose.

Another change since blogging became popular has been the uncovering of news that the media don't want us to know about. We can find out the truth about the news because somebody out there knows it and has probably blogged about it. The media can no longer hide things from the public.

A further change is the speed of delivery of the news. Rather than waiting until the evening broadcasts on television or the daily newspaper, we can find up to date information throughout the day online through blogs and other sites. We can also choose when to receive the news. We are no longer restrained by the tv schedule. We can choose to read the news online at 4am if we like, before the papers are in the shops.

I think the impact of blogging and other areas of the internet has been huge. We no longer have to rely on the one sided views at the scheduled times, we are free to receive the news in our own time and in our own ways, and to choose types of news that meet our personal requirements.

Learn more about this author, Kate Hudson.
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