So much for that ta-da event tomorrow -- Microsoft just confirmed the fall Zune lineup a little earlier than planned, and it's almost exactly as leaked: capacity bumps to 120GB and 16GB, new WiFi music store, Zune 3.0 software with recommendations and pre-programmed theme channels, and two new games, Hexic and Texas Hold 'Em. Oh, and that snappy blue flash Zune we just spotted. Pricing is similarly unsurprising, seeing as we've had it for a week: the 120GB Zune is $250, while the 16GB flash model is $199 and the 8 gigger is $149. Oh well, at least we still have those new mice and webcams to look forward to tomorrow, right? Certainly nothing else is going on.

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Robert Levine is the MOLI View contributing editor for Business and Technology.

In mid-July, NYU professor Jay Rosen asked a provocative question about citizen journalism: "Can we take the quote marks off now?" A longtime champion of what's called citizen journalism, Rosen believes that it's time to start giving user-generated content more credit: "Can we remove the 'so-called' from in front?"

Here's my response to Rosen: As soon as I see something worthy of the name. Also: I think reading websites all day is taking a toll on your grammar.

But Rosen would say I have old-media values. He's busy building a career out of promoting user-generated content as a competitor to the dreaded "MSM." He's even called professional journalists a tribe, implying that we operate as an interest group. I'm not sure I'd qualify as a member (but if we can operate casinos, I'm totally in!) but I admit that I'm concerned that a group of people willing to do my job for nothing could endanger my ability to make a living. Rosen doesn't have to worry about this, of course, because he's a member of another tribe: tenured academics.

To make sure I'm not being unfair, I took a look at CNN's iReport site, to which users upload content that they would describe as journalism. Here's what I found on August 10. (I wrote this before my tribe went on its mid-August migration to upstate New York.)

Under the heading "Fresh iReports," the latest story was a screed about China messing up the U.S. national anthem at the Olympics, illustrated with an image of the Marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima. The central point: "PLAY OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM CORRECTLY, CHINA. Otherwise, WE are insulted." While I can't argue with the idea that a country able to coordinate such a spectacular opening ceremony should be able to do justice to "The Star Spangled Banner", this isn't journalism so much as commentary - the kind that's only entertaining in a sports bar.

When I looked under "Newsiest Now" - which the site says is "a calculation that combines freshness, popularity, activity, and ratings" - the most recently posted item was a group of photos of the conflict in Gori, Georgia. The images were affecting and emotionally disturbing in a way that brings home the horrors of war. But there's almost nothing in the way of context - time, location, identification - that would give the photos more news value.

Under "Highest Rated," the lead item is a photo of a house of mirrors - from the outside. The second item is a photo of a tourist feeding cute monkeys. Well, it's not news that we all love cute monkeys!

Under "Most Viewed," the lead item was "Sexism Abounds in Media Coverage of Edwards Affair." The writer argues that "the affair is an entirely private matter between him and his family, and I, the public, and the media have relatively little to do with it." Which doesn't make sense, since almost all major news organizations left the Edwards affair to the National Enquirer until the former candidate himself confessed.

On average, CNN's iReports make CNN look intellectual by comparison - which takes some doing. There may be some decent citizen journalism somewhere on the Internet - but, to answer Rosen's question, I'm going to keep qualifying the term for now.

Robert Levine is the MOLI View contributing editor for Business and Technology.