Should Newspapers Sponsor Blogs Written by Reporters?

BLOGS; JOURNALISTIC ethics; MARSHALL, Matt; SAN Jose Mercury News Inc.; ALTERNATIVE mass media; ONLINE journalism; REPORTERS & reporting

Comments on the ethical aspects of weblogs, or blogs, written by journalists and sponsored by newspapers. Role of bloggers in the critique of mainstream media sources, including newspapers; Description of a blog written by Matt Marshall, a reporter who also writes for the San Jose Mercury News in San Jose, California; Claim that Marshall's blog allows him to include opinion and rumor in his reports, which would not be accepted by a traditional newspaper; Discussion of the ethical aspects of journalists who write both blogs and traditional reports; Potential impact of blogs on the reputation and credibility of newspapers that sponsor them; Potential risk for libel accusations against bloggers who are not subject to the oversight of an editor.