March 8, 2005: Bloggers

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2005 — -- To their credit, the bloggers have given us in the traditional news business a swift kick in the pants.

Knowing that a vibrant electronic community can galvanize at the drop of a dangling modifier forces all of us to be more careful, accurate and thorough. It's also true that the collective effort — and expertise — of the blogging community is invaluable for bringing new information to light on almost any subject.

That said, the blinding speed of the blogging world — and a tendency of some bloggers to shoot first and ask questions later — should raise a yellow flag.

Good journalism is tedious; it requires legwork, research and editing. Even that does not preclude big mistakes — as the bloggers themselves have so clearly exposed.

But, over time, such tedious work is the price of credibility.

And the new media kids on the block will have to earn that.

One blogger at a time.

Now that you have read Nightline's Closing Thought, send us your own thoughts on the issue.