The bloggers gave a standing ovation to Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor and presidential candidate. In 2003, Dean's presidential campaign used the Internet to promote his bid for the White House.
"I feel somewhat responsible for the fact that everybody got credentials," he told the bloggers.
Dean said the group shouldn't worry about the reception it gets from "traditional" journalists. "If I were you, I would not be insulted if someone refused to acknowledge you as a real journalist," he said. He said the "mainstream" media is far more biased than it will admit.