As a response to all the angry people out there who think bloggers are not journalists, I have written my own personal view on the subject(on my blog, of course).
What is journalism, really? Who is to define what a journalist is and how he/she operates? In my opinion, a journalist is someone who spreads information to a group of people. It can be a large group of people, or a smaller group of people. The information can be called news, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. Information is so much more than just news. Both journalists and bloggers publish information in the public. It doesn't matter where it is published, what matters is that someone is reading it. Both comment and analyze content, and both also put a new perspective on certain subjects.
The difference is that professional journalists who for instance write for a national newspaper have certain responsibilities. They have to make sure that what they write is the truth by checking their sources and they shouldn't make the article "poisoned" by their own opinion(which is what some people think bloggers are doing).
I believe that a blogger can be a good journalists and vice versa. What you should consider is the quality of what is written. Some bloggers can't be seen as a journalist simply because their written content is so bad. But for those who are putting time and effort into their writing, good for you. I think you are contributing well, and I don't see why you can't be seen as an online journalist.
For me as a student journalist, having a blog is very handy. Not only can I put my university work up here, but I can also find other stories and write about them as well. I should probably be against those who "think" they are journalists without a degree, since I am paying alot of money to get my journalism degree, but the truth is, I think blogging is great. If you have something you want and need to get off your chest, blog about it!
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