A recent op-ed piece in USA Today posits that, as the journalism landscape changes, so must marketers and the public. The lines between news reporting and entertainment are increasingly blurred, and even bloggers are beginning to consider themselves legitimate journalists (see story here). This new "democratization" of the news media requires that marketers expand their outreach and focus.

One of the main challenges facing the public is the simple fact that fact checking and traditional journalist vetting of a story is virtually nonexistent in the blogosphere. "News" stories that appear may be anything from rumor to unsubstantiated assertions or even a corporate marketing ploy.

Obtaining credible information is going to become increasingly difficult, especially for coming generations, which are brought up on digital, unfiltered media. The need to teach news literacy has become a focus of a number of organizations, including the FCC and several higher education institutions.

According to the column, "For the professional media, increasing news literacy is an opportunity to build an audience for publicservice journalism. About 75 active and retired journalists have participated in News Literacy Project classes, sharing their experiences and answering questions about quality journalism. Fourteen news organizations are participating in the project."

As the public begins to filter their news in an attempt to obtain credible information, we may see a shift back to traditional news channels and reporting paradigms. The need for some type of journalistic arbitration will grow as consumption evolves. Marketers that strictly focus on new media for their relationships may find themselves facing credibility issues in the future.