"All the news that's fit to print."
How arrogant. The New York Times can claim supreme journalistic integrity, but for everyone else, it's a pretty steep value judgment of the news. It's as if saying, "I am the alpha and omega of news coverage."

It used to be established media professionals that made these claims. Now, it appears those elitist views have seeped into new class of journalists.

Last week, University of Michigan student Theresa Kennelly — also an opinion page editor, from The Michigan Daily — painted a fairly bleak future for print media. Further declining readership, online shifts and tabloidization is creating a populace that is uninformed and uneducated. While she blamed cable news commentators such as vitriolic noise box Nancy Grace, Ms. Kennelly had a bigger target in mind: blogs.

Ms. Kennelly, like many in the mainstream media, makes the mistake of trying to establish a line of demarcation between journalists and everyone else. She argues, "Bloggers just don't have the same level of accountability as journalists do." For those gossip blogs like TMZ.com and Perez Hilton, the criticism is apt, as rumor pervades every post. However, a large portion of the blogosphere is comprised of concerned citizens who wish to make their voices heard, bloggers who make accountability their No. 1 priority.

For example, the liberal national blog Crooks and Liars may blatantly slant commentary toward leftist initiatives, but conservative blogs like Little Green Footballs are ready to scour their posts for untruths, misquotes and inaccuracies, and vice versa. The community not only fact checks itself, but also examines the spin of major news media outlets. Even daily posts on the Madison student blogosphere have been able to catch multiple mistakes in The Badger Herald.

Although mainstream media may point to bloggers betraying a political slant, the wide expanse of the Internet ensures a more comprehensive analysis than print journalism can ever provide.

The mainstream criticism of the blogosphere may focus on content, but it's territorial, at the root. As Ms. Kennelly says, "Blogs cannot and should not replace traditional news and commentary."

I agree, but that was never a real possibility. To think that a collection of citizen commentary and observations could replace centuries-old journalistic institutions is incredibly far fetched. Blogs are not in competition with traditional media; they supplement it. The Badger Herald attempts to cover the issues vital to students, but we, along with every other news agency, always miss some stories. In these cases, bloggers are ombudsmen of the local media.

The relationship between bloggers and mainstream media is like a representative's relationship with his constituents. Just as legislators make judgments as to what's "right for the people," so do newspapers decide what's "fit to print." The difference between bloggers and constituents: Constituents demand change, bloggers make it happen.

At least they do when people actually write them. With the disarray of respected local conservative blog Letters in Bottles and the relative infrequency of posts in the student blogosphere as a whole — myself included — student concerns, observations and debates aren't nearly as fulfilling as they could be. The current population of student bloggers is doing a fine job, but we all have studies and work to focus on, too. In this case, another one of Ms. Kennelly's main criticisms should be reinterpreted as a catalyst: "It's not difficult to speak up."

If even 2 percent of the student population on this campus wrote the occasional reflection on university issues, city politics or musings on their curriculum material, we could establish a legitimate public forum capable of tackling local issues.

While the blogosphere is a relatively new creation of technology, the idea has a historical corollary. This country's colonial revolutionaries passed around pamphlets discussing the philosophy of the Enlightenment, proposals of the day and ongoing debates between citizens. Today, we link to each other's commentary on city council votes, the war in Iraq and the state of our nation. With enough luck, this new method of public discourse may provide equally revolutionary actions.

But that ivory tower of printed news must not be ignored. The most informed and analytical of all blog writers are the ones who absorb every bit of content they read. Certainly, newspapers not only produce a smarter populace, but one more engaged in civic participation. When traditional news produces an item for inquiry, dialogue will inevitably occur. The only difference is that now, it happens much more quickly and with a much larger group of participants.

Thankfully, the gap between traditional and new media is rapidly closing, including at this newspaper. Starting today, The Badger Herald Opinion Page has re-entered the blogosphere. Just point your browser to badgerherald.com/blogs. With tools like these, print journalism can move with its readers into a vibrant new arena for public discourse.

Jason Smathers ([email protected]) is the Editorial Content Editor and a senior majoring in journalism and history.