Bloggers as Journalists?

In the article on blogging, First amendment scholor David Hudson Jr states, “Blogs, or Web logs, fulfill this ‘participatory, speech-enhancing’ function, allowing individuals to become one-person online out lets of information covering subjects in detail. Blogs are online journals or diaries where individuals can post daily entries about the subject of their choice."

I completely agree with this definition of what a blog consists of but not all share this view. In the same article, Robert A Cox, president of the Media bloggers association states, “It is worse than useless because it is an empty vessel into which people can – and do – pour whatever meaning suits them at the time. This breads confusion… blogging is writing period."

Yet, Rebecca Blood author of Weblog Ethics has another view, “Weblogs are the mavericks of the online world. Two of their greatest strengths are their ability to filter and disseminate information to a widely dispersed audience, and their position outside the mainstream media."

Based on my experience as a blogger, I do not believe that blogs should be regulated for the content of their speech. I disagree with Sen. John Cornyn who states, “However, the relative anonymity afforded to bloggers, coupled with a certain lack of accountability… has the risk of creating a certain irresponsibility when it comes to accurately reporting information” (Hudson 2). In my opinion bloggers are not reporters; they are expressers of their own thoughts and feelings, so they should not be held as accountable for the same rules as journalists.