Riding home on a train from New York City to Long Beach (NY) gives a creative mind a lot of time to think through a variety of topics, and form a variety of opinions on those topics.  In the current wired world, there are many different methods of bringing those thoughts to both friends and others via tools available via the Internet.

"I find time (to write) in airplanes, taxis, and while riding the train.  I will write myself articles on the Blackberry, email to myself, and publish (to a blog) when I get home" Hunter Newby

Blogs are becoming a very popular way of bringing your story to both your friends and the rest of the connected world.  Friends who read your blogs (or email), tend to have fairly high confidence that what you write is based on some level of fact.  Or they simply enjoy reading your accounts of events happening in your part of the world.

Can an enthusiast blogger generate the level of experience and credibility of a card-carrying journalist?

In part 2 of our series on journalism, newspapers, and the new media, we look at a comparison of bloggers and professional journalists.  The question, recently voiced with strong emotion by David Simon (film producer and former reporter for the Baltimore Sun), asks whether or not bloggers can adequately research and write on topics traditionally reported on by professional journalists.

In a powerful speech given to the National Press Corps in Washington DC, Simon expressed concern that the art of reporting, performed by professional journalists, is being lost.  This is partly the result of local newspapers being shut down, or with local news being replaced by wire service content. 

The Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Tribune Company (owner of LA Times and KTLA) are all recent examples of traditional media on the brink of closure. 

Circulation is down more than 30% at the Boston Globe since 2000, which is only representative of a trend hitting the print media market - people avoid buying newspapers if the news they need is online.

The online world of journalism and blogging is generally free, forcing media companies to deal with two sticky issues: