Journalism is the discipline dedicated to taking a world of information and sifting, ordering and presenting that information to either the general public or a specialized group to whom it pertains in as close to an objective view as is possible (Wow that's a mouthful). A Journalist is simply someone who undertakes this discipline, and pledges to carry it out with ethics and class.
The natural next question, however, would refer to citizen Journalism. Is every blogger on the Internet a Journalist? No, they are not. I think what makes citizen Journalism most different from the discipline people study on college campuses all over this country is objectivity. A blogger is writing their opinion, much like I am doing right now. They have no ethical standards to live up to, no general public to inform of things that are pertinent to them, no editors checking spelling and grammatical errors. These things may seem trivial, and I commend every person who uses their 1st amendment right to put their opinion out there, but the fact remains there is a difference between doing things for fun and being...Certified, so to speak. People simply expect more from Journalists than they do of bloggers.
Its like calling my Mom a chef. Sure she cooks dinner everyday, and does a good job at it, I might add. But she is not held to the same standard as someone getting paid to cook. Much like I am not held to the same standard of Katie Couric.
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