Should Professional Journalists Blog?

Can you really disseminate important information to the public and retain your credibility and audience as a journalist who blogs?

Texas Monthly's BurkaBlog tagline reads "He's right about Texas politics. And also left." Interpret this how you'd like, but I can definitely see this not going over so well with people on the right. (Hmm...how many Republicans are in Texas again?) I don't know how I feel about a journalist saying 'this is how I vote,' via a blog. People will form opinions about the reporter. That statement seems so crazy to me. People claiming they know a journalist's political views--and they actually have proof.

Whatever happened to journalists not voting in primaries to conceal their ideologies for the greater public good?

On the other hand, isn't transparency supposed to be a good thing? I've looked at blogs that announce change (Delay of Game) and blogs that give a behind the scenes account that may provide the reader with information and insight they previously did not have (Of Sacred and Secular).

For now, I'm going to oppose the Journalist-Blogger because it sometimes betrays the journalistic principles and professionalism I think are important. Why would a professional want to group himself/herself with Blogger-Wanna-be-Journalists?

Some classrooms in America require participation and expression as a learning tool for others, but when everyone is sharing at the same time and talking about their specific interest, it just becomes noise and does not mean the student is receiving the information he or she needs.

But Mom, I Don't Want to be a Blogger

Here's the deal: The word blog doesn't sounds so sweetly in my ear. It's something the tech-savies and people a little too into themselves do. If there's something going on in the world I want to know about I go to AP; I trust it.

I don't want to read anyone's online diary or their endless tribute to "the cause," whatever it may be. People going off on their soap box ... what fun!

We'll see where this goes: reasons to back my initial thoughts, blogs that break the negative connotation and of course, my personal online diary. Like omg!

Have a good weekend people of the Web. Peace out.