Blog transparency. Are bloggers journalists? The best answer I've seen comes from Dan Gillmor, who writes in PR Week Feb. 25 that "the question is roughly the equivalent of asking whether people who write on paper are journalists."

Most bloggers, like most people who write on paper, aren't journalists. So their work shouldn't be held to the same journalistic standards that Denver's daily newspapers should meet - standards such as basic fairness, accountability, independence and others, as articulated, for example, by the Society of Professional Journalists.

But whether bloggers think they are practicing journalism or not, their blogs should inform people about the information they're getting.

Who's behind the blog? What's the purpose? Does the blogger have a political bias? Is the blogger trying to practice journalism? If so, what are his or her standards?

If the blog is anonymous or allows anonymous postings, it should explain why anonymity is allowed.

Bloggers who provide this information are doing us all a favor because it could help some people evaluate the different types of information they consume. It could help some people understand what journalism is.

I made this argument to Jason Bane, a founder of the left-leaning Colorado Pols blog, and asked why Pols doesn't have an "About Us" section.

He emailed me that the site used to have such a thing and should probably add one. Similarly, Ben DeGrow of right-leaning Bendegrow.com told me it hadn't occurred to him to include an explanation of who he is and what he's doing. After our conversation, DeGrow added this information.

In a random sample, I found that four of 10 left-leaning blogs in Colorado and seven of 10 conservative ones posted no information about who they are and what they're doing.

Comment please. Journalists at the dailies should occasionally respond to readers' comments in the discussion boards under news stories and columns on the Web.

Rocky Mountain News columnist Tina Griego, who's been the object of many an ugly comment online, has never posted a comment under her articles on the Rocky Web site, she told me. In fact, she's stopped reading them.

She told me her comment section was dominated week after week by the same people, who were mostly negative and "mostly bullies."

But the e-mails she gets from readers are "95 percent positive," and she responds to most of them, she said.

I told her that journalists, including news reporters, should try to respond to online comments under their articles.

I think this would elevate the debate there, add credibility to the forums and bring in more people, especially the shy and thoughtful variety.

Griego told me she could see my point.

It would also be useful for news reporters to join the comment boards, time permitting, and Rocky Editor John Temple e-mailed me that they are not prohibited from doing this.

Reporters "might straighten out a factual issue that's causing much debate," Temple wrote, adding that reporters' "principal job is to gather the news, so they have to balance their time."

He pointed out that reporters often chat about their work on RockyTalk Live, a regular online chat on the Rocky's Web site.

If you haven't checked out RockyTalk Live, you should. It's a really good dialogue.

But why not do more posting as well? One big reason obviously is that reporters are busy.

But here's my idea for journalists at the dailies: If you're reading the comment boards anyway, and I know many of you read them, then take 30 seconds, post a comment, and see what happens. It's actually more of a public service for you to post comments for everyone to read than to respond to individual e-mails. Try doing a bit of both.

Good question. I like it when a local TV news show develops a regular way of delivering serious information.

KCNC-Channel 4 airs a piece called "Good Question," which answers such questions as , what is stagflation? What are the real risks of mountain lion attacks? What's the difference between the Democratic candidates' health care plans?

About twice a week, Channel 4 anchor Alan Gionet provides fair, clear and relatively in-depth answers to questions like these, with visual accompaniments.

It's always a relief to see the obvious talent of Denver's local TV journalists used to inform us about complex topics, not to entertain us to death.

Transgender stories. Over the past year, the Rocky has run two outstanding stories on transgendered people in our community.

The first by Chris Barge (Sept. 1) told the story of an Aurora police detective who decided to become a woman. The second, by Jeff Kass (March 1), described how a teenage boy decided to become a girl.

These are great examples of how reporters can treat this under-reported issue with sensitivity and depth. If you missed them, it's worth taking a look online.

Jason Salzman, president of Cause Communications and board chairman of Rocky Mountain Media Watch, is the author of Making the News: A Guide for Activists and Nonprofits. Reach him at salzmanj@RockyMountainNews.com.