Jay Rosen at NYU and Chris Nolan (a former Merc columnist) have written a great post about the coming age of "stand alone journalism." Stand-alone journalists differ from bloggers and citizen journalists in that they are professionals who are using the same technology to strike out on their own. Chris sums it up well...
These are not bloggers. They are people who are using blogging technology--software that allows them to quickly publish their work and broadcast it on the Internet--to find and attract users. They understand that the barrier to entry in this new business isn't getting published; anyone can do that. The barrier to entry is finding an audience. That's why their editorial product is consistent, reliable and known. Readers have expectations and stand alone journalists understand this and put that understanding into practice.
