Everyone Wants To Be A Blogger

I was reading this story in Editor and Publisher:

[Washington Post Editor Len] Downie said that when it first became apparent that the Internet would change the news business, executives and editors worried that its influence would erode the quality of journalism, increase competition, and become a distraction for the reporters and editors working on the print edition of the paper. But he said instead that the increased focus on the Web has "improved journalism a lot, way more than we could have expected."

He said that the 24/7 news cycle has changed his newsroom for the better, with reporters always tuned in to what's happening and constantly trying to find stories to report for the Web site -- and that reporters could add more detail because the Web had "unlimited newshole."

"I was known for writing long as a reporter, I edit long, and now there's a place to put it all," he said.

Reporters love newsroom blogs, said Downie, because they put writers in better touch with their readers: "Everyone in our newsroom wants to be a blogger."

And the blogs that pick apart every article that the Post produces are a good thing, said Downie, because they "keep the paper honest" and, even if their commentary isn't positive, bring people to the site.

"Blogs are not competitors and not problems," he said. "Instead we have a very interesting symbiotic relationship. Our largest driver of traffic is Matt Drudge."

Why, it wasn't that long ago when newspapers regarded bloggers as being "humorless, thin-skinned and have a grandiose sense of their own importance."

In fact, some newspaper columnists explained blogging to the masses in this way: "Perhaps you have not heard of blogs. The name derives from a combination of 'blather' and 'logorrhea.'"

Then came the warning from one newspaper reporter about how the public should "Know that if the information is coming from the mainstream media - the accredited reporters, broadcasters and photojournalists - they are following strict professional guidelines that the looser outlets don't require. The information has been verified, has been scrutinized by editors, has been fact-checked and proofed." and to ignore blogs.

My how times change.

The Des Moines Register responded by creating their own blogs. They weren't any good then, and they aren't any good now.

The Register has also given blogs to most of their columnists and editorial writers. How have they fared?

Andie Dominick hasn't published anything since August 10th. Rekha Basu since August 9th. Erin Crawford's was July 30th. Dick Doak hasn't had anything since July 12th. And Rox Laird's last blog entry was July 5th.

To fill the void, the Register recently gave a blog to former Congressman Dave Nagle.

One of Nagle's latest posts is nothing more than a swipe against the entire Republican Party over the Foley scandal, and a poorly-written one at that. Does this sound any different than Iowa True Blue, Gordon Fissure's blog?

I don't see Nagle's blog lasting much longer than the first week or two in November. I could be wrong, but that's my guess.