I completely agree with the intent. We need objective, skilled reporters to collect the news. We need skilled journalists to write about the news. We need skilled editorial review to catch mistakes, and insure the highest quality result.

The above is NOT the usual result of "professional journalism". What we want is skill. We would like to believe that "professional" journalists are highly skilled – but the evidence does not support that conclusion. Reporters are often sloppy in collecting news. Journalists need to be popular and write regularly, but often produce articles of no value. Editorial review often lets through poor work.

Newspapers are dying because there are better alternatives, and due to inherent poor quality.

Newspapers as a profitable enterprise were enabled by (then new) technology, and existed only as long as there was nothing better.

I completely agree with the intent. We need objective, skilled reporters to collect the news. We need skilled journalists to write about the news. We need skilled editorial review to catch mistakes, and insure the highest quality result.

The above is NOT the usual result of "professional journalism". What we want is skill. We would like to believe that "professional" journalists are highly skilled – but the evidence does not support that conclusion. Reporters are often sloppy in collecting news. Journalists need to be popular and write regularly, but often produce articles of no value. Editorial review often lets through poor work.

Newspapers are dying because there are better alternatives, and due to inherent poor quality.

Newspapers as a profitable enterprise were enabled by (then new) technology, and existed only as long as there was nothing better.

In nature r selectors usually take over new territory first and then k selectors move into it and eventually push the r's out. Wonder if that will happen on the internet!

In nature r selectors usually take over new territory first and then k selectors move into it and eventually push the r’s out. Wonder if that will happen on the internet!

In nature r selectors usually take over new territory first and then k selectors move into it and eventually push the r’s out. Wonder if that will happen on the internet!

I also think it's worth pointing out that bloggers may not be journalists, but they are a diverse group with ideas and opinions that might have been kept out of the mainstream in previous years.