The Washington Post Finally Gets It on Blogs

Okay to be fair it isn't the paper as a whole. Though this is a good story about someone smelling the coffee about how blogs work and how they are trouncing print media.

So I'm in D.C. right now for the big celebration and all the wonderful events that surround the sea-change starting to occur within the beltway. My free hotel room happens to be in Maryland where my cousin lives. Over the last couple times I've stayed here I explained the essence of blogs (IMHO). Specifically how they generate participation rather than have an audience to shout at and hopefully shout to from the Sunday Talk Show circuit if they are considered at a high status, as in print media. Of course not everyone fits the ideal but you know what I am getting at.

Anyways, so she works for a great progressive organization inside the beltway and talks to a lot of print media, specifically in the science world. Her conversation yesterday with the Science editor of WaPo (doing a quick google I found to be Rob Stein brought the light shining on his face. With the WaPo cutting staff, who has written a lot of great articles) back being interjected into the conversation, my cousin mentioned how blogs are taking over where print media has given up. He countered that there is no peer review and blah blah blah. My cousin so vallantly retorted that the citizen participation by active and well-read bloggers and activists are actually the ultimate peer review, since the well written and credible bloggers stand out among the millions. And then by some magic of the universe he said, "I never thought of it in that way." Congratulations Ron, by the way, can you share that with Deborah Howell when you have a chance? Thanks!