Derek asserts, “What’s the difference between a blogger and a journalist? Easy: A blogger can afford to say what they really think, a journalist has to keep up the appearance of impartiality.”

And I’m sorry, Derek, but I don’t buy it. I could get myself fired in a day by posting something to my weblog. (Ask Cam or Heather.) I won’t go through the exercise of proving it, but the fact that no one has yet gotten sued for libel doesn’t mean it won’t happen. There might be arguments to defend your position, but this one’s not it. Especially for those of us who have, or are trying, to launch weblogs that relate to our jobs, we can retain the personal voice of traditional weblogging, but I certainly don’t have the liberty to say anything I think. And I’m leery of limiting weblogs to the knee-jerk, emotive, "I’m an artist, dammit” world of independent writing.