On The Role Of Bloggers

John Hartigan's disdainful remarks regarding the blogosphere have some merit (but not much):

Citizen journalists, he says, simply don’t have the resources to bring us reliable news. They lack not only expertise and training but access to decision makers and reliable sources.

The difference, he says, between professionals and amateurs is that bloggers don’t go to jail for their work – they simply aren’t held accountable like real reporters.

Like Keating’s famous “all tip and no iceberg”, it could be said that the blogosphere is all eyeballs and no insight.

Of course, bloggers don't have all the resources newspaper reporters do and don't always have access to decision-makers.

On the other hand, bloggers are often better-trained than newspaper reporters (they have advanced degrees!), and often have better access to events (note how we've been relying so much on Iranian bloggers the last several weeks?) And bloggers DO go to jail; indeed, they are even more likely to do so than newspaper reporters.

Reporters and bloggers are (or should be) mutually-dependent. Hartigan should grow up.