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The State of the News Media report for 2008, produced by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, indicates that circulation, advertising, earnings and staff have all declined at newspapers across the nation. Conversely, the number of news and information outlets has increased dramatically. Each year the report is compiled, the percentage of people who say they turn to the Internet for news increases. In 2007, 71% of Americans went online for news. For an industry devoted to the dissemination of news as newspapers are, these figures are noteworthy and demand attention.
Blogs are one of the many outlets for news and information that Web surfers have at their fingertips. To understand blogging, it is necessary to contemplate its meaning. Although there are many views on the subject, Walker (2003) provides a succinct yet encompassing definition.
A weblog, or blog, is a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. Typically, weblogs are published by individuals and their style is personal and informal. . . . Examples of the genre exist on a continuum from confessional, online diaries to logs tracking specific topics or activities through links and commentary (para. 4).