This perceived threat to mass media is not imminent however. Fears appear to be based on the assumption that blogging will overtake and eliminate major news sources and this not the case. There are very few journalistic bloggers who venture onto the field to collect their own news stories. Gathering news stories is a task still best left to professional journalists with the resources and skills to accurately and concisely document important events. The bloggers’ role is instead to respond to news stories and share them with other individuals. This communication makes blogging a social manifestation of journalism since the individuals can now respond to the stories and be heard. Blogging doesn’t take away from mass media, but instead opens up the channels of communication. With blogging, everyone can broadcast to everyone. The people are the mass media. It is “the most significant media revolution since the arrival of television” (Ryfe, 727). Blogging can be described as the ultimate form of hybrid media, since it has no exclusive ties to central political powers. All bloggers are given equal opportunities to expression.
