Blogs Are Journalism's Friend, Not Foe

By Laura McFeely

Ever since blogs took over the internet, mainstream-media companies have been wringing their hands about bloggers' corrosive influence, even as they've scrambled to get on the bandwagon. "You're going to be up against people who have an opinion, a modem, and a bathrobe," fretted NBC television anchor Brian Williams on his own blog, Daily Nightly. Not to fear, Williams: blogs may actually be journalism's friend, not its foe. Scott Rosenberg, author of Say Everything, a new book on the history of blogging, thinks that far from hastening journalism's demise, blogs are becoming crucial forums where the industry's future is debated. Rosenberg also points to blogs like Talking Points Memo and Romenesko to argue that they embody old-school journalistic principles like muckraking and vigorous debate. Increasingly, blogs play a complementary role to mainstream media: bloggers break the news, while journalists provide in-depth analysis. Some blogs, such as ProPublica, are even supplying newspapers with free articles. Maybe it's time for big media to look as blogs as collaborators, not competitors.