The earliest blogs tended to be personal accounts of 0 daily events. Very soon, however, many types emerged including critical news commentaries, often well-informed and 17 expressed. With many millions of bloggers now writing on almost every 18 subject each day, the traditional media cannot afford to ignore them or treat them with 19 . Their ubiquity means they have become increasingly 20 , as can be seen in the number of ‘official’ news stories that are 21 or called into question by bloggers, and also the numerous stories – initiated through blogs.

Most large media organisations have now 22 some form of blogging into their news services, but independent bloggers still have a freedom unavailable to mainstream journalists. They bypass editors and publishers, who tend to distort stories. The material on blogs is raw, 23 by editors, and often harsh and direct in its criticism of the way news is reported by the traditional media. Thus, bloggers act as a kind of media watchdog, able to check facts and verify or, alternatively, 24 information in a way that mainstream journalists are often unable to.