Blogs are changing the face of mainstream media. Every day people take to the Internet to voice opinions and join online communities. One sect of bloggers comprises citizen journalists and political blogs and they are some of the most popular on the Internet.

The evolution of blogs and the way the public goes about getting their news and commentary is forcing the mainstream and local media to adapt, and this Saturday, the Second Annual Blog Summit, held at Marquette's Law School in conjunction with WisPolitics.com, analyzes this online movement.

Mike Gousha, the former WTMJ-TV news anchor and current Distinguished Fellow in Law and Public Policy at the Marquette Law School, moderates the event.

"It will feature bloggers, well-known political commentators and journalists and will look at the impact of blogging on elections, public policy and 'old' media," Gousha says. "We'll also examine legal issues raised by blogging and whether all voices are being heard in the blogosphere."

The list of panelists reads like a who's who of Wisconsin's bloggers, commentators and media. Set to participate in the discussions: Ed Garvey, Charlie Sykes, Brian Fraley, Owen Robinson, Jessica McBride, Jay Bullock, Eugene Kane and Tim Cuprisin.

Blog Summit II begins with a discussion about the effect blogging had on the 2006 campaign and what will happen with the coming 2008 campaign.

"Bloggers are changing the way political campaigns are run, how policy decisions are made and how some people get their information," Gousha says. "It's a trend that cannot be ignored."

Following the campaign questions is a panel featuring OMC Publisher Andy Tarnoff on what blogging is doing to journalism and the standard newsgathering process.

"I don't think (blogging) hinders the newsgathering process. Journalists will do what journalists do. But it has created competition for traditional media outlets," Gousha says. "The best blogs can sometimes break news and drive public opinion, roles historically played by newspapers, television and radio."

Attorney and author Jennifer L. Peterson will discuss the legalities of blogging in the next discussion followed by a panel on whether or not all voices are being heard in the blogosphere, featuring OMC bloggers Dasha Kelly and Jennifer Morales. Finally, the future of blogging, specifically in Wisconsin, will be discussed with a little audience participation by Boots and Saber's Owen Robinson (bootsandsabers.com) and Folkbum's Jay Bullock (folkbum.blogspot.com).

Gousha says that Blog Summit II will be "lively, thought-provoking and fun."