(2002-05-13) i

John Ellis on the WebLog journalism phenomenon. Major metropolitan newspapers ( and magazines ) employ scads of talented people ( like Dionne ) who are chained to an idea of analysis, commentary, and opinion that is as stale as it is technologically archaic. That idea - that the great all-knowing center BroadCast-s out to a sea of fools to shape their thoughts and opinions - is as dead as smelt. The market for analysis, commentary, and opinion has shifted because the underlying technology has changed... Much of the business of news gathering has been commoditized by the Associated Press, Dow Jones, and Reuters... As a result, major newspapers and magazines ( along with radio- and television-news programs ) have concentrated their resources on analysis, commentary, and opinion as the "value added" proposition for their readers, listeners, and viewers... Major news organizations breathed a huge sigh of relief when DotCom mania came crashing down. That meant that the barriers to entry in their markets were reerected and that their ( mostly ) monopoly positions were resecured. Now the bloggers are at the gates, eating into the media's value-added proposition.