Porland Oregonian Public Editor Michael Arrieta-Walden tells Cyberjournalist his readers routinely call or write "to cite stories they've seen blazing the Web but that are missing or downplayed on the newspaper's news pages."
"The gap goes to the heart of what is journalism. Opinions, commentary or simply rumors dominate many of the blogs. Yet blogs also can break legitimate stories, such as the one that led to the downfall of Dan Rather. Newspaper and wire-service journalists grapple with distinguishing between the rants and the real news, and must confirm the information using standards of accuracy and verification rarely applied to blogs...."
Get enough readers calling in and newspapers will turn their Web sites into blogs.
