The broad definition of journalism I propose is this: Journalism is any third-party account that adds to the record of verifiable facts.

[...] Of course, this criterion does not reach widely enough to include the vast majority of bloggers, few of whom provide original reporting of their own. But defining journalism less rigorously than we have done can only benefit those who desire to gain the privileges extended to professional journalists while evading their professional standards. Like many people, I am frequently disappointed by press coverage of current events. Too often, journalists unskeptically accept whatever "facts" are given to them by authorities without verifying that they are true. If anything, we need to establish higher standards for journalism, not a second, lesser standard for people who lack the resources to do the job well.