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Simply put, a writer's work speaks for itself.

No need for resumes, letters of recommendation, interviews, etc. A writer's work, be it from a blog or hard copy periodical, is a living breathing resume.

Any sports journalist that openly admits that they have a problem with LEGIT bloggers coming into the locker room most likely is not confident in their abilities as a writer/reporter. Whoever wrote the above sample most certainly falls into the category.

And I see paid journalists make spelling/grammatical mistakes all the time. Hecht, I've even seen mistakes on THIS site. But does the occasional spelling mistake make any of us that less of a writer? I would think not.

The only thing I can agree with from that sample is that is probably unprofessional to wear a Caps' jersey as a reporter, be it a paid reporter or a blogger. Show some class... wear a collared shirt or even, yes, a tie!

Let's make something clear: I never saw anybody show up in the press box to work while wearing any Caps merchandise.

Never.

I think it's quite easy to distinguish the professionalized bloggers from the "fanboys." There are plenty of "fanboy" bloggers, of course, and that's fine -- though I wouldn't let them in the pressbox. But a lot of blogs have professionalized standards -- even if they're not "professional" in the sense of "paid," they strive for professional-quality work.

A lot of blog networks these days go through a "hiring" process even if pay is nonexistent or minimal. So the bloggers have already gone through one cut to demonstrate that they're serious about their work.

Soccer had a semipro media long before "blogs" were popular. That accounts for several of the folks you and I see at D.C. United games. If anyone ever suggested kicking them out, I'd be the first to complain. They're deeply invested in the team, sure. But that makes them great resources. Having them in the pressbox essentially guarantees reporter access to the team's most knowledgeable fans. Who could complain about that?

There are a couple of reasons you see complaints at SJ. First, it's the final nail in the straight "game story," which has been dying for years thanks to readily available broadcasts, highlights and official league sites. Some writers relish the freedom they have when they're no longer bound by the need to recap every detail. Some don't.

Second, competition for journalism jobs is intense. It's not unusual to see 100-200 resumes pile in for a job covering a mid-major basketball team for a mid-sized paper offering maybe $35K at the high end. Now those jobs are disappearing, and the chance of using them as a stepping stone to a job that lets you support a family is disappearing with it.

But if you look at "journalism" as a whole, there are plenty of jobs out there. It's a bad time for newspapers, but not necessarily for journalists.

Besides -- bloggers aren't too blame for that. Maybe they're competition in one sense, but they offer a different style and should be a great resource for the mainstream pros.

And I'm no better at asking questions than some of the bloggers.

Just want to be clear too that I was being sarcastic about the Caps' jersey.

And as mentioned above, it's pretty easy to dinstinguish a professional blog from an unprofessional blog. Some blogs, like Off Wing and On Frozen Blog, go the extra mile to report original information. Other blogs, like mine, have no where near as much original information. The level of involvement is quite clear and distinguishable. The unique and original material is distinguishable.

I think the discussion about bloggers/credentials sometimes loses sight of what blogging is (was?) all about, at least for many bloggers.
Sure, some got into blogging because they have journalistic aspirations and perhaps viewed blogging as a stepping stone to a "legitimate" media job. Nothing wrong with that.
But these ambitions do not apply to the vast majority of bloggers and the blogging "phenomenon" has nothing to do with millions of wannabe Stan Fischlers or James Mirtles. Most bloggers simply have an opinion that they (immodestly) think others might want to read. The fact that many bloggers have found an audience is, if nothing else, proof that "legitimate" journalists/media outlets are not satisfying everyone. The best bloggers, it seems to me, are those who have unique perspectives & often very strong opinions on the topics they write about.
If the NHL or individual teams create a whole bunch of rules and standards for bloggers to meet if they want credentials, many of those who qualify for access will probably write stuff not dissimilar from the coverage legitimate journalists are dishing out. At the risk of coming across as some sort of sixties throwback, they will be co-opted by the system, man. You dig it?
There is nothing wrong with bloggers who write articles that would feel at home in the NY Times or the Hockey News. This is especially true in the case of bloggers who write about teams in markets where the hockey coverage provided by the MSM is poor. But the NHL should try thinking outside the box and see what happens if they open the press box door, even just a little, to bloggers who are writing unique, edgy and even irreverent things about the league. They might find that these bloggers are capable of bringing hockey to new audiences.

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