Are Bloggers Journalists?

Mark Bunster, the author of the blog Loaded Orygun, was asked by Lake Oswego city councilors to leave the executive session held in July 2008. Under Oregon law, members of the press are allowed to sit in on executive sessions. The fact that Bunster was asked to leave indicates that Lake Oswego does not think that bloggers are journalists. But is that true?

People have different opinions on this topic. Personally, I think bloggers are journalists. They act in very much the same way journalists do. First, they find information either by searching the Internet, attending events, or talking to people. Then they publish their work for the public to read. Lastly, they often attribute the information in their blog post by linking to the site where they found the information.

People usually claim that bloggers are not journalists, because they are not objective. Bloggers usually let their ideas and beliefs slip into their writings. That is true. However, it is often overlooked that professional journalists are also not completely objective. They will often frame stories based on their beliefs.

Like professional journalists, bloggers present newsworthy material. No one could dispute the fact that Talking Points Memo and the Huffington Post have broken big news stories. These stories have helped to inform the public.

Therefore, in my mind, bloggers are journalists.