so far, i have come across two compelling arguments:

the cult of the amateur – where amateur / citizen journalists have misconstrued the institution of journalism and without proper training, become the "playground of the young and restless"

however, the wisdom of the crowds is another school of thought where citizen journalism is valued for going into places where journalists have not ventured (manpower straps could be a reason). it's sort of democracy in practice where the silent voices are not just bound by votes anymore, but the blogosphere has become the coffeeshops of discussion. it perhaps has evolved into a new public sphere.

hopefully, as platforms continue to develop, and we tap into the collective consciousness of the blogosphere, the majority of Internet users will be better educated and more widely read, augmented with both traditional and new media. in the end, i reckon that this 'new' media will become like any other media.

these are exciting times indeed -)