Who is a Journalist in 2015?

The definition of who a journalist is has no concrete explanation in my mind. Anyone in the world that has internet access can report news in today's world, which is a controversial media landscape in my mind. It is up to the consumers of news to trust certain media outlets that follow the upstanding ethics of journalism. In my mind, I would define a journalist in 2015 based off of their intentions.

I personally maintain a separate blog from this for my own interest, and produce content for a college hockey website and participate heavily in student media, but does that make me a journalist. I would like to think it does, because of the intentions in which I produce my content. I am not creating information for rumors, gossip or just senseless bits of content that do not create any relevant news. With the advances in blogging and other online sites, the question of whether or not those writers are considered journalists is heating up right now, and I would like to think that those bloggers with newsworthy intentions should indeed be considered journalists.

A recent article by The Oregonian gives an example of a blogger that had a hard time fighting for his right to be called a journalist. The blogger in question, Mark Bunster, was asked to leave a political hearing, because he was not considered a member of the news media, even though he produces content related to the political world in Oregon.

I believe that Mr. Bunster should absolutely be considered a member of the news media, because he is creating content that is considered newsworthy to the general public. It is absurd to think that just because his content is not being produced in print, he has been denied similar rights in the media to those outlets that produce content that can be physically held. Today's world and the future is all about digital content, and there needs to be more opportunities for those digital producers to create content that can often be less restricted by corporate interests.

I honestly think that this "digital media discrimination" will not last, because content is so digital in today's world and it is progressing down a similar road. Print is dying, and there needs to be more acceptance of digital producers of similar content.