Reporters Eye Blogs

I ran across a new study that shows that although journalists may not see blogs as highly credible, they read them.

"Most journalists use blogs to do their work, even though only 1% believe blogs are credible, according to a survey by Euro RSCG Magnet done in partnership with Columbia University.
The study finds that more than half of journalists use Weblogs regularly, with 28% relying on them for day-to-day reporting. By comparison, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that only 5% of the online population reads blogs regularly.

Other highlights of the study include:
45% of journalists are less trusting of the professional behavior of their own colleagues — up from 34% in 2003.
93% note that they are less trusting of colleagues who are paid to act as spokespeople.
79% believe that recent revelations about journalists taking payment from third parties has had a strong effect on media credibility.
78% believe that Rathergate has profoundly altered the media's credibility.
93% of journalists said they are being "excruciatingly careful" in fact-checking their stories in 2005 — a huge increase from 59% in 2003, likely a reflection of the press's declining credibility."

Source: http://www.emarketer.com/