I think the problem is that the word "folk" is so slippery we're often not talking about the same things in these discussions. Traditional songs are always folk but folk songs (in many current definitions) are not always traditional. Contemporary songs are, by definition, not traditional but there are contemporary songwriters writing songs that most people, even here, would call folk songs.

Some have argued (myself included) that types of rock music that emerge from distinct ethnic or regional communities should be considered folk. I now think that broadening the definition like that is not really helpful. However, I think without any grassroots input the whole processes is a little too self-conscious. A songwriter writes a song in a traditional style and fifty years later we find out if its folk.