The seven bloggers at ColoradoConfidential.com became the first journalists solely dedicated to blogging to be credentialed through the Colorado Press Association. The CPA was founded in 1878 to "promote the interests of daily and weekly newspapers."

CPA Executive Director Ed Otte said the inclusion of ColoradoConfidential.com "reflects changes in the newspaper industry."

The ColoradoConfidential bloggers do original reporting and file news stories many times a day. They report live from the Capitol and are often the first to post breaking news in Colorado.

"At the CPA Annual Convention last week, someone asked if bloggers would have any trouble receiving credentials for the Democratic National Convention next year," Otte said. "The answer was no because blogging has become the biggest factor of influence in political reporting."

Since July 2006, when ColoradoConfidential.com launched, the sites' bloggers have produced more than 2,300 original news stories on issues of importance to Colorado. More than 27,000 people have visited the site and the Colorado chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists announced last month that ColoradoConfidential has won the first Mark of Excellence Award given to bloggers.

ColoradoConfidential.com is a Web site owned by Fort Collins resident Wendy Norris. The site showcases the seven Colorado-based Fellows of the New Journalist Project. The Project, funded by the Center for Independent Media in Washington, D.C., is an effort to combine the best of blogging (speed, interactivity) with the best of journalism (fact-finding and ethical/professional standards).

The seven Fellows receive a monthly stipend, editorial mentoring from a CU instructor and access to a Lexis/Nexis account. In return, they are expected to adhere to the Society of Professional Journalist's code of ethics adopted by the Center, produce and present original news and information via their blog, and be available for training as needed.