Learning to separate the journalism from the rest

Are blogs journalism? Is my weblog journalism? Is Wonkette journalism? Is Powerline journalism? Is Culture Snob?

The key to understanding whether blogs are journalism or not is the ability to discern legitimate journalistic efforts from the crap. We have that ability with newspapers; no one reads Tounge in Beak and understands it as real news. We have that ability with TV; no one considers Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on Weekend Update to be journalists. Yet, when the computer screen turns on, and the Internet browser pops up, people's sensibilities fly out the window. Why is that? One word: participation. The level and ease of posting to the Internet instantly causes people to be suspicous. Not anyone can be Bob Woodward, not everyone can be Anderson Cooper, but anyone can spend 2 minutes setting up a Blogger account and instantly start producing content. One of the most common and aggravating criticisms of blog journalism is that blogs aren't journalism because bloggers are just housewives or the unemployed who post their diaries to the Internet. Yes, there are blogs out there written by your roommate's 11 year old sister, and yes there are blogs devoted entirely to Hilary Duff and puppies. However, for every New York Times, there is a cheesy fan club newsletter. So for every Hilary Duff puppy website, there is a Wonkette.

Clumping all amateur blogs in with every respectable blog is a mistake. Not all blogs are journalism, but journalism does not exclude blogs. Weblogs, while they can be used for other things, have the capability to produce news content and be called a journalistic effort. Students these days are taught how to be discerning when getting information off the Internet. These skills are required to realize that, phenomenon or not, weblogging is the new media and old school journalists are going to have to make room.