The Year (Ahead) in Media

That Goes for You Too, Newspapers

It may not save them, but some newspapers really got it last year. The New York Times killed with its excellent slate of blogs and a willingness to try new things (see Kit Seelye's liveblogging). Plus, their Spitzer scoop proved that great reporting can be rewarded with server-shaking pageviews. Meanwhile, the LATimes was the fastest-growing major newspaper site in the country, largely on the strength of its many blogs (they launched 21 in 2008). The Washington Post did a few things right as well, like Chris Cillizza's DIY online video, and its regular web chats (so much more fun than the Times's staid "Talk to the Newsroom" - compare and contrast to Tucker Carlson and Ana Marie Cox).

In 2009, more newspapers had better get on board with this strategy, and fast, if they want to survive. A model for the future: Times media columnist David Carr, whose side project as The Carpetbagger has made him a genre-crossing online star (the Bagger expanded from movies to politics this year, blogging the conventions). It's noteworthy, too, that Carr is accessible to bloggers in a way that others at the paper are not, and he is rewarded for it by what the kids call "link-love." In 2009, newspapers are going to need all the love they can get.

Let's Talk About Sexism

Don't kid yourselves: We are so not ready for a female president. By "we" I mean the media, whose stunning mishandling of the gender politics of the 2008 race meant that no one would even admit there might be a sexism problem until it was too late for Hillary Clinton — and just in time for Sarah Palin.

Not everyone averted their gaze. A small knot of smart female writers dug in and refused to let it pass, despite being chided for — what's that word? — hysteria. Defending Clinton against sexism was especially objectionable when seen through the lens of Obama-love, so it was a pretty lonely path until Katie Couric dared speak its name. Thank goodness for people like Rebecca Traister, Dahlia Lithwick, Katha Politt, Emily Bazelon and Amanda Fortini plus bloggers like Shakespeare's Sister and Echidne, who grappled with the reactions to Clinton's run, including the marginalization of her older female supporters (angry puma alert!) and parsing her female detractors (we get it, MoDo). When Sarah Palin turned gender politics upside down last summer (Mom! Moosehunter! Maverick!), these same women examined their own reactions honestly, and tried to figure out how feminism had become so damn confusing.

Will this improve in 2009? Based on the way Caroline Kennedy was received, not likely (I'm all for vetting, but let's just say that complaining about wealth and nepotism hasn't exactly hurt male politicians. I'm lookin' at you, Basil Paterson's son). But here's the good news: Estro-blogging is taking off! Slate's XX Factor is being spun off into its own site; blog pioneeress Elizabeth Spiers is launching a new women's site; WoWoWoW has filled a clear niche; and even MommyBlogging is getting new respect. But in the meantime, Hillary Clinton is Secretary of State, Rachel Maddow is in Converse in Vogue...and Sarah Palin is a calendar. So, we're not quite there yet.

Alter-Egomaniacs

Howard Wolfson...music blogger? It turns out Hillary Clinton's cranky spokesperson is a completely loveable music geek, blogging happily away on his site, GothamAcme, and sharing some pretty great tunes while he's at it. And Joe Trippi's passionate and relentless blogging about the travesty of Zimbabwe has stubbornly refused to let the story fade away - you won't find a better resource for it online. We knew Bonnie Fuller liked celebrities, but we'd never actually seen her write about them. Alex Balk's Tumblr. John Dickerson's Twitter. These secondary outlets meant getting to know these people in a completely new way...and for some, maybe even liking them.

Having a secondary media outlet will prove essential in the coming year—especially as more and more primary outlets disappear Beyond that, it diversifies your brand - and who in this market couldn't use a little diversification? No one can rely on their primary expertise anymore; to thrive in 2009, people are going to have to hustle and prove they can adapt. Hell, even Eliot Spitzer has figured that out.