Blogging, Part II

This is in response somewhat to Rich Cameron's previous post about blogging. One of the things we talk about in my editing and ethics class is the difference between bloggers in general and journalists as bloggers. The difference, of course, is that journalists who blog have an obligation to follow the norms of journalism -- primarily, a dedication to reporting verified information accurately. What I worry about is how will Internet users distinguish between those who observe a discipline of verification, and those who just spout off? I think this is why we, as journalism teachers, find it difficult to get too excited about blogging as a useful journalistic tool.

I saw a quote (on another blog no less) that said something to the effect that blogging is to journalism what Wikipedia is to encyclopedias: It's somebody's 2 cents worth that must be taken with a grain of salt. Wish I could remember where I saw that so that I could properly credit it.