I agree with everything you wrote. But bloggers have to start fact checking and sourcing when writing about someone else. It’s one thing if they have a mommy blog and write about their personal lives, it’s another when they want to call themselves political bloggers and don’t know a things about politics and want to be considered a player.

It’s a two way street, but the majority of bloggers, at least in Nashville, made it a one way street where it was their way or a stake through your heart.

Old time journalism isn’t a bad thing. It needs to incorporate new media. Conversely, new media, however, needs to incorporate some of the foundations of old journalism, like doing one’s best to be accurate.

I have found many bloggers (in Nashville) to be resistant to the idea of going out and covering stories, talking to the people they are writing and talking about, etc. That’s not good.

From personal experience, I can tell you I’ve never had more lies and rumors told about me than through bloggers who never bothered to call me or email me for a comment or verify a story.

That’s not journalism. That’s slander and libel.

Would you please repeat/scream this mantra “Reporters and photographers both print and broadcast…would do well to invest in a digital camera and laptop with a good editing program and develop or refine their skills in shooting and editing.” My experience this summer, training a number of seasoned journalists, supports this. Adding new tools (images, video, multimedia, social media) to one’s storytelling skill set is not an option.

I do not diminish the need for trained journalists (what I believe to be what Sharon calls “old fashion journalism”). The issue today is that becoming a “trained” journalist means that “training” is an ongoing, relentless process of learning, sorting, adapting, and adopting an array of ever evolving tools.

You said, “There will still be an enormous appetite for good local journalism created by competent reporters and editors.” I agree completely, which is why so many blogs are not being taken seriously because there is no accountability, and some bloggers just print or say whatever they want without one care about truth.

Bloggers have had their 15 minutes. People are dying…literally in some places, for old fashion journalism where people fact check and source and then double source and don’t just print unsubstantiated gossip and then call themselves citizen journalists. Readers are sick of it and want real journalists, citizen or traditional, who research, fact check, source, attend events and quit being gossip queens and kings.

Other than that, call me. A lot going on over here. Where’s our lunch???????????