This is cool, and I think it is underrated as a path. In either case, I wish more people tried out just writing, especially on the EA Forum.
What do you see as the difference, if any, between being an internet blogger and being an independent EA researcher (besides sounding less pretentious)? What would you see as the difference, if any, between being an internet blogger and a journalist?
Thanks! That’s one perk I neglected to mention. You can try blogging in your spare time without much commitment. Though I do think it’s a bit risky to do it half-heartedly, get disappointed in the response, and never find out what you would be capable of if you went full time.
There are lots of bloggers who definitely don’t do independent research, but within the broader EA space it’s a really blurry line. One wacky example is Nadia Eghbal who’s writing products include tweets, notes, a newsletter, blog posts, a 100 page report, and a book.
The journalism piece is interesting. Previously I would have said there are mainstream journalists, and then small-scale citizen journalists who focus on hyperlocal reporting or something. Now so many high profile journalists have gone to Substack to do something that is often opinion-writing, but sometimes goes beyond that.
In the past, I also would have said that journalists have more of a responsibility to be impartial, be the view from nowhere, etc. That seems less true today, but it’s possible I’m conflating op-eds with “real reporting”, and an actual journalist would tell you that there are still clear boundaries.
However, if journalists just do opinion-writing on their substack, and that kind of journalism becomes dominant, these boundaries may dissolve. That is not necessarily a good thing, though.
This is cool, and I think it is underrated as a path. In either case, I wish more people tried out just writing, especially on the EA Forum.
What do you see as the difference, if any, between being an internet blogger and being an independent EA researcher (besides sounding less pretentious)? What would you see as the difference, if any, between being an internet blogger and a journalist?
Thanks! That’s one perk I neglected to mention. You can try blogging in your spare time without much commitment. Though I do think it’s a bit risky to do it half-heartedly, get disappointed in the response, and never find out what you would be capable of if you went full time.
There are lots of bloggers who definitely don’t do independent research, but within the broader EA space it’s a really blurry line. One wacky example is Nadia Eghbal who’s writing products include tweets, notes, a newsletter, blog posts, a 100 page report, and a book.
The journalism piece is interesting. Previously I would have said there are mainstream journalists, and then small-scale citizen journalists who focus on hyperlocal reporting or something. Now so many high profile journalists have gone to Substack to do something that is often opinion-writing, but sometimes goes beyond that.
In the past, I also would have said that journalists have more of a responsibility to be impartial, be the view from nowhere, etc. That seems less true today, but it’s possible I’m conflating op-eds with “real reporting”, and an actual journalist would tell you that there are still clear boundaries.
However, if journalists just do opinion-writing on their substack, and that kind of journalism becomes dominant, these boundaries may dissolve. That is not necessarily a good thing, though.