"Citizen Journalist" and "Blogging Brands" Response

The creation of blogging is very interesting and complex.  There are so many benefits but with the good comes bad.  The idea of anybody being able to publish there opinion is exciting but scary.  What we thought of as freedom of speech has changed so much over the course of history.  Freedom of speech has went from a very recognized and important human right to something that has spiraled out of control!  The most confusing questions are where do we draw the line on who and what you can publicly say and how do we control it?

First lets take a look at the positives.  It is simple amazing to have the ability to give first-hand reports on a subject of interest.  You do not have to be a hired journalist; you can simple publish your opinion for a wide range of audience for your voice to be heard...FOR FREE!  It is also interesting as stated in passage that  bloggers also may track down details and investigate evidence in a way that professional journalist do not have time for.  Bloggers are able to monitor all the news items about a particular person or subject very carefully.  They are able to feel in certain cracks that a professional journalist did not mention.  Something I found very interesting about the passage was that blogging is dominated by women.  This has a huge effect on how story's are depicted because men and women generally have different views on particular topics of interest.

Although there are many benefits to blogging how should it be governed by the legal system?  If you engage in journalism, are you a journalist?  How do you define a journalist?