Blogging the News

Lately the blogosphere has been discussing Bill Roggio's coverage of Iraq, and the mainstream media's response to it.

In fact, the bloggers' ability to report on news items, bringing forward critical pieces of information, vital perspectives that the mainstream media, shut out by their own decision to close foreign bureaus, are no longer able to provide, is going to become increasingly an important resource -- and perhaps an increasing source of friction.

There's a new blog that is devoted to considering precisely these issues, written by a colleague of mine who I have great respect for. If you have any interest at all in the role the blogosphere plays as an alternative to more traditional sources of news, you might want to check it out.

This post, about what should have been a central element of the reporting on the story of bird flu reaching Turkey, will give you a good feel for what the blog is about (and, independently, is quite interesting.)