Terry Mattingly: When is a reporter a reporter and when is a reporter a blogger?

"Anyone who follows what Ruth Gledhill has to say at her "Articles of Faith" website knows that she has strong religious opinions...Gledhill has a right to her opinions, of course.

"But she isn't just another Anglican with a "weblog," one of dozens of "bloggers" who flooded the Internet with news, rumors and opinions during the tumultuous events this week in Columbus, Ohio.

"Gledhill is the religion correspondent for The Times of London. Thus, she writes waves of regular newspaper stories, as well as columns that mix traditional reporting with her own analysis. And now, blessed by her editors, she writes thousands of words each week at her "blog" -- ranging from coverage of theological issues that may be too complex for the regular news pages to personal observations about her own parish and her own faith. She isn't alone. The Times offers dozens of blogs by reporters covering everything from politics to fashion footwear, from movies to gay family life.

"Many editors want their reporters to blog and many others do not. What happens when journalists who are supposed to write unbiased stories about hot issues start airing opinions online that tell readers what they really think? When is a reporter a reporter and when is a reporter a blogger?"

Here's the rest of the story.

Note: Gledhill is the daughter of an Anglican clergyman. With a lifetime spent in the Church of England and two decades of religion reporting, she offers a unique perspective vis a vis the unfolding Anglican crisis -- one I look forward to reading.