Excellent - Now I know why you got my vote :)

The other critical point: when bloggers make a mistake, they acknowledge it and correct it, either from their own inherent honesty or because a dozens of other blogs are pointing it out. In fact, I think bloggers hold the truth as the highest goal while MSM hold covering for each other as theirs.

YO! THREE CHEERS FOR ACE!!! Great piece ACE!!! The Old Media is so full totally of shit it is obvious to anyone who is not equally full of shit, as 99% of all Liberals are. Let 'em talk their stupid bullshit about blogs, they'll only continue to alienate the public as your readership grows and theirs fades. You are on the right side of history, their wave has crested just as yours is coming, and you and everyone in the New Media richly deserve it! Enjoy the ride up!

And I don't have an editor, a fact-checker, or even an intern.

You should get an intern. Look what it did for Bill Clinton.

Ace: journalism is not a profession. There are only three true profession: medicine, the law, and the clergy. Traditionally, professionals had certain duties to go along with their perks -- for instance, a lawyer or a doctor wasn't a flunky with a boss, but that also meant he didn't get regular wages; he had to take care of making his presence known and offering his services. Doctors, lawyers, clergymen were also supposed to do a certain amount of pro bono work -- that means volunteer their services for free. They had the privilege of not having to disclose confidential information, but also the duty to treat their possession of this info seriously, not like levers to be used to gain themselves even more privilege at the cost of their clients or the society they practiced in.

Journalism, and writing, are not professions, they are crafts or trades. Having published a book, a column, an article, or a blog post doesn't give you the right to swan about talking about your "professional obligations" or any of that nonsense. I understand that standards have become debased and blurred in this latter age, but every time reporters -- who as you say, are nothing but secretaries taking notes who sometimes get to have their name published on the memo -- start jawing about "ethics" and how they are better than people writing for free on a personal website I just want to laugh. Anchorpersons are, if possible, even lower on the intellectual totem pole than reporters and "journalists" are glorified reporters with Journalism Degrees. I'd rather not see bloggers fall prey to the "I'm a professional" nonsense.

Andrea,

Not to disagree with the crux of your comments, but:

In Leadership 101, we were taught the miltary officers were a professional community also. Do you think that this also qualifies?

If you've ever seen an investgative report on a subject that you're an expert on (or even well-versed about), you'll never trust an investigative report again. What the MSM lacks is an effective feedback loop to refine their story. Bloggers have this via email and comments which is why a story goes from say 80% correct to 95% or higher correct.

MSM Reporters move on to the next story thinking they've gotten it "mostly right" except for some trivial points. This makes them believe, falsely, that they can understand complex subjects and issues without serious study.

hey ace-allah is back!! and he wants our vote in the weblog awards....apparently there is a 'blog that updates once every 2 months catagory'. Hes a shoein.

With the same First Amendment protections as newspapers, blogs are increasingly gaining influence.

Yea isn't awful that bloggers have the same First Amendment protections as newspapers? These people really believe that only they should be listened to.

Whoa, has anyone considered what these professionals are getting paid to adhere to standards?

What's that annoying Kathie Couric making - 35 million a year? Paula Zahn pulled a fast one on CNN by telling them she'd loved to "come over" and leave Fox - exaggerating how much Fox had "offered" her to stay thereby milking CNN for extra millions.

Ethics - these people have less moral authority than the very FIRST PROFESSION that noone seemed to mention ....ah, Sweet Ladies of the Evening!

Ace:

"I've made mistakes. So has Drudge. So has Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, etc. We've all made mistakes".

In interest of full disclosure, you should disclose that I pay you to make mistakes. Otherewise, your writing would be perfectly accurate.

atomic: Damn. I knew Allah was enjoying being an apostate blogger too much to not blog about it.

Way to miss, or rather, entirely ignore my point and go off into some sort of tangent of your own, JFH. Where did I say anything against the military? By the way, calling someone "professional" has nothing to do with actually being a member of a profession, any more than calling someone "an angel" means they actually have wings and a halo.