The Difference Between "Blogging" and "Journalism"

I came across this a week or more ago.. I've been super busy getting things in order here so I haven't had time to post much (I'm in Utah working with the team as we speak).

This caught my eye mostly as it relates to xposted. Here's a juicy nugget from the comments:

Bloggers are not journalists in general, except for what we report about our own lives, and then there is no verification, there is no fact-check, there is no responsibility to anyone but ourselves. To compare bloggers in general to the print newsmedia is just... apples and oranges. Now, bloggers who report the news? Sure. Hold them to account, ask the big questions. But the woman in Sheboygan writing about her pansies? She could n't care less about her "mandate" or the "group voice" or "undermining the mass media." She's just telling stories the way her grandmother did. It's just that now -- and this seems impossibly lovely to me -- others can benefit besides her intimates, if they wish.

It may be amateurish, but giving individuals a voice is never a bad thing.

Source: Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comment, "Blogs: threat or menace?"

I think this question is on the minds of people from both sides of the fence - mainstream and social media. The answer is surely not definitive considering the many shades of truth that exist around any particular story or experience.