Can I get some Definition ?

Am I an Engineer ?  I have not  passed any formal Engineering qualifications or certifications I haven’t been formally recognised or approved by a authoritative body.

Am I an Architect ? I dont draw elaborate diagrams and I haven’t studied structural and then adhered to legally mandated design methodologies for the creation of structures.

Am I an Journalist ? Im not part of an accepted corporate body of “media” representatives.  I am not part of a collective of self recognising and unionised organisations which may represent perceived public opinion.

What title can I actually claim for myself and the role I provide ?

In my career I have been addressed as a Software Engineer , a Tech Support Engineer, A System Administrator and a System Architect all of which have required me to have experience as my sole qualification for the title.

In a earlier Twitter from Kevin Anderson ( aka @kevglobal ) asked:

My personal view is that Journalism is not a platform but a process. Kevin Anderson and myself are both keen to see Bloggers have an equal right to privacy and protection that Journalists benefit from.

Through the ensuing Tweets back and forth I asked the question as to who it was then that kept asking the question about the seperation of Blogs from NewsMedia. Was it the  Bloggers  or the Journalists ?

• Business Week : Are Bloggers Journalists.  The story covers a judge ordering bloggers to divulge sources.
• BBC News: Are Bloggers Journalists. Details how an aspect of US Law may protect bloggers via Freedmo of information.
• The Age Media Blog: When are Bloggers Journalists ? Ponders when a Blogger becomes like a Journalist.

The stories through various explanations seek to break down the core requirements to differentiate bloggers from journalists. Journalists are defined by.

• Fact checking.
• Objectivity.
• Editorial Policy.
• Access to information otherwise embargoed.

In the same threads, or those they have linked to,  bloggers are described as;

• Innaccurate.
• Self aggrandising
• unprofessional

Careful observation shows that these and other descriptive terms are not being raised by the corporations or governments seeking to establish a legal precedent, but by the media covering those stories.

Try googling the term “are bloggers journalists” and see if the number of links returned demonstate an equal balance of bloggers vs “mainstream” media and professional journalists writting about this topic ?

So whats the point of this post ?  Titles are bestowed upon us by observers and  “usually” are defined by experience and demonstrable skills.  I can be an Engineer, an Architect, a Journalist or a  blogger. I know I am a  Loudmouthman but lets agree to stop the name calling shall we ?

Thanks for reading.

UPDATE:  Also can I get a spell checker because the two on here ( one in wordpress, the other in firefox ) and the twice read through that I carry out myself still leave me with errors !