Over the past two years a new, strange-sounding word has entered into our vocabulary. You won’t find it in any dictionary, save for the most recent one. Not even Microsoft Word recognizes it. Yet it is fast becoming a household word. This new word is “blog.”

            The word blog is short for web log, and it what its name implies: an online diary or journal that is updated frequently. There are millions of blogs on the web today, and the topics they cover are just as diverse as the bloggers who run them. Some cover politics. Some cover religion. Some cover their owner’s private life. Some are humorous. But they are all, in their own way, influencing our culture in ways most of us do not fully appreciate.

            If not for blogs, Trent Lott would probably still be Senate Majority Leader. It was bloggers who first pounced on his controversial comments at Strom Thurmond’s birthday party. If not for bloggers, Dan Rather would probably also still be hosting the “CBS Evening News,” as it was bloggers who exposed the Bush National Guard files as forgeries.

            As one surfs the ‘net, you can find blogs to cover just about any interest. The most famous of all blogs is Instapundit (http://www.instapundit.com), run by UT law professor Glenn Reynolds. Talk show host Hugh Hewitt’s blog (http://www.hughhewitt.com) is likely the most popular right-wing blog. The Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com) leads the pack among left-wing blogs. These blogs receive over a hundred thousand hits per day, but there are many other blogs who get far fewer hits that are also worthy of attention. Among them are countless UT students who post their thoughts every day.

            What has caused this massive surge in blogging? Part of it stems from disenchantment with the Mainstream Media. For years, conservatives have complained that the mainstream media has a liberal bias. With the rise of talk radio and Fox News, some liberals are now also getting into the act, arguing that the media, in fact, has a conservative bias instead. Then, of course, there are libertarians, Greens, socialists, and others who rarely even get mentioned in the newspapers or on television. As a result, these malcontents from all over the political spectrum have taken matters into their own hands and have begun posting the news they see fit to print. Then there are countless blogs dedicated to reporting on a single topic (like a political campaign –http://bloggingforbryant.blogspot.com) or on regions of the globe that are often overlooked on the nightly news (like Africa – http://africapundit.blogspot.com).

            That blogs are numerous and influential is not in question. But whether or not they are a positive influence is. It has been said that the best and worst thing about blogs is that they have no editor. Anyone is free to publish anything they want – regardless of whether it is accurate or not. On the one hand, you get pure, unfiltered news and thoughts. But with this comes the possibility that what you are reading is untrue or exaggerated. How can you tell the difference?

            Fortunately, it is not that difficult. First of all, blogs with a political agenda are easy to spot. Most are very upfront about their political leanings. And having a political agenda does not make one dishonest, provided they are honest about their biases.

            Of course, publishing news that one knows is untrue is dishonest. This certainly happens, and is why one must be careful. Finding reliable news sources in blogosphere takes time and effort. Trust must be built between the blogger and his or her audience. But this is true of all news sources. The hosts of the nightly news programs on ABC, NBC, and CBS have built trust with their audience (which they are slowly losing, or not so slowly, as is the case with Dan Rather). Reading a wide range of blogs from across the political field will also give one a chance to check their stories against each other.

            As blogs become more popular, many Mainstream Media sources are beginning to utilize them as well. In fact, the “Knoxville News-Sentinel” now has a blog (http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/) maintained by reporter Michael Silence.

            Those interesting in Tennessee blogs should check out the Rocky Top Brigade (http://southknoxbubba.net/rocky_top_brigade.htm), led by prominent Knoxville blogger South Knox Bubba (http://www.southknoxbubba.net/skblog). Among Tennessee’s best blogs (and by this, I do mean my favorites) are the aforementioned Instapundit, Michael Silence, and South Knox Bubba, Bill Hobbs (http://www.billhobbs.com), AlphaPatriot (http://www.alphapatriot.com/home/index.php), Lance in Iraq (http://iraq.billhobbs.com), Simply I (http://adamgroves.net/blog), Nashville Files (http://www.nashvillefiles.com/blog/), Nashville Truth (http://nashvilletruth.blogspot.com), and South End Grounds (http://www.southendgrounds.com).

John Brown (www.johnnorrisbrown.com) is a senior in political science and history at the University of Tennessee @ Knoxville. Contact him at johnnyb325@aol.com. This column originally appeared in the April 19, 2005 edition of The Daily Beacon entitled "Blogs revolutionize news media," available here.