The problem is that bloggers can’t fill the gap. They have no direct sources of news; they are still reliant on somebody else’s reportage. They can criticize, but they can't originate news. Bloggers add another source of marginally informed commentary, usually poorly thought out - a necessary result of the stream-of-consciousness blog format. You don’t generally find finished, coherent thought in that sort of stream, the format simply isn’t conducive to it.
Jeez, Steven, the bloggers are simply people like you and me with an idea, a kernel of knowledge, and a viewpoint. It is up to the reader to reach his own conclusions. And, as far as your "bloggers not having direct sources of news" criticism is concerned, you forget that bloggers are not professional journalists. But they serve a very useful function, namely, the keep the mass media honest.
Trust me, the quality of the fact-checking by the mass media is going to go up dramatically as a result of Rather being crucified by the bloggers. Is that such a bad thing? |
