There is no question print journalism is dying in this day and age. Major cities all over the country are losing their daily newspapers, which begs the question, how do people get their information these days?

Sure, younger generations are reading online newspapers, but that’s not the only place people are getting their news. In fact, it may not even be the most popular.

For better or for worse, people today have become enamored with the world of blogs and are going to them to gather their news rather than their local paper.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are a lot of reputable blogs out there by real journalists, who understand the laws governing communication. The problem with blogs, however, is that anyone can have one and if enough people read it, the person behind that blog becomes an authority. Sure, blogs are great because they give anyone and everyone a chance to be heard, but the problem with them is that if enough people read a blog, especially if it reports on something, those opinions could be skewed as facts.

And when some of the most popular blogs today, like The Drudge Report and Perezhilton.com, are generated by people without journalism degrees or legitimate writing experience, it can be a bit unsettling for an aspiring journalist. Drudge has no degree and Hilton has a degree in drama with some writing experience working for the gay men’s magazine Instinct.

That is the problem with “journalism” today. Everyone has the ability to be published, whether they have credentials or not, and these people’s opinions are being interpreted by the masses as fact. Bloggers don’t have to respect or take heed to the laws and ethics that a normal journalist does. The things journalism students at Point Park University learn about in communications law don’t mean a thing. Without standards and a code of ethics, it is hard to take bloggers seriously as practicing journalists.

However, depending upon how you look at the law, it could be argued that bloggers are, in fact, journalists. According to a ruling by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a case involving local Pittsburgh radio personality Mark Madden, a journalist is someone “who is actively engaged in investigative reporting, who is gathering news and who possesses the intent to disseminate this news to the public.” Based on that, a lot of bloggers could be considered journalists.