Blogging Rick Santorum: Citizen Journalist, 'Snake Oil Peddler'

A big splash was made in Philadelphia last week: universally-hated and deposed former Sen. Rick Santorum began his first column for the rising-in-circulation Philadelphia Inquirer. And I can't help but think: you want a citizen journalist? You've got one, journalists.

While only an introductory column, Santorum proves to be clear and concise in his expectations and demands: He's conservative, the Inquirer and its readers are not, and by golly, can't we all just agree to disagree?

But this column, like many others -- the New York Press' Ed Koch column comes to mind -- are indicative of the on-the-fence citizen journalists of the world (well, the op/ed ones, anyway) -- they're not paid op/ed journalists, they're not faceless Joe Schmoes from next door, they're right in the middle -- people who are paid (or elected) to have opinions, just not for the paper.

A former senator like Santorum is educated in the politics of what he's experienced his entire elected career, but he's not "a big-J journalist" until he hangs it all up for his newspaper. And even then, he might not shake his old work history. Is Rick Santorum an op/ed citizen journalist if he backs his opinions up with researched fact?

Or does it matter that he was once a politician? Or that he's currently working for a think tank? How about if he gave up all of his ties and just started blogging?

I'm not sure. But this kind of informal legitimacy -- this fuzzy mental licensing of journalists -- is exactly at the heart of the citizen journalist debate. Hopefully, Santorum keeps to the facts and doesn't blow hot air without a fire behind it.