Scott Karp at Publishing 2.0 has an interesting post about why journalists should blog independently from their employers (hat tip: Mathew Ingram).  He gives seven reasons:

• Creating an independent publishing platform — blogging software makes this easy
• Creating a platform for journalism that isn’t dependent on a corporate entity’s financial fortunes
• Embracing the power and accepting the responsibility of being a publisher
• Learning how to use the technologies that are transforming media
• Putting your career on a growth track by not defining yourself as a print journalist
• Creating an online resume that shows you can do new media
• Becoming a node on the new media network — journalism will be networked

(Journalists should inform their employers of their personal blogging endeavors).

These reasons cater to journos' professional interests, and I particularly enjoy the third reason that emphasizes that personal blogs can instill a greater sense of responsibility when done transparently (no anonymity or aliases).    

Everyone can bolster their own responsibility, and journalists can help promote this much needed virtrue to others on-line who unfortunately feel that the Internet allows them to cloak their identity - - thus, empowering them to shameless insult and threaten  others.  Journalists' skills and habits like fact-checking and well reasoned decision making can help foster a better environment on-line.

Many journalists feel threatened by the Internet since so much ilk and misinformation is promoted there.  Perhaps they can act as examples of responsibility to others in order to help mold the medium to better suit their desires.  Regardless of how they feel, the media industry is shifting there, and journalists can only help by migrating there – even on their own.

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