Blogs can’t replace the full range of MSM, but blogs have demonstrated that they can do certain things, like fact check, much better than MSM. RatherGate is a prime example.
The guys at Powerline are bright guys, Charles Johnson is a bright guy, same goes for Bill at INDC Journal, Donald Sensing, Pacetown, and all the rest. But two things sets them, and bloggers in general, apart from MSM (OK, more than that, but I’m only going to focus on two things. So keep Pajama cracks to yourself).
Number one is that they are happy to credit the people who send them information. You want your name mentioned, they’ll do anything short of the blink tag. When a reader sends them good info, they use it and credit the sender (or withhold the name if desired). They don’t act like they’re figuring out everything on their own or that they discovered all the info on their own. This is a huge multiplier effect – they are giants on the shoulders of thousands of other giants, people who may be experts in a given field, people who may be talented amateurs in a given people, people who might have just had a great idea or key insight. The point is, for MSM, I’m sure they have to rely on people giving them info, but they always act like somehow as good journalists they did all this on their own. They seem to actively discourage the notion that any part of what they present was even influenced by non-MSM participation. Yes, they get outside experts on occasion, but the experts come from MSM’s rolodex, not the other way around. But for whatever reason, MSM thinks any whiff off non-MSM participation dilutes their authority.
The other difference is that bloggers don’t try to be “exclusive”; that is they link to other bloggers. No blogger pretends to be a one stop shop. This is a big help because on something like the CBS forgery story nobody has the complete picture all by themselves; a bunch of people contribute various amounts but by linking the reader can get a full picture. It’s no skin off of Powerline’s nose to link to a INDC Journal post that makes a good point if it helps the reader. Actually, it’s better than that because Powerline doesn’t have to worry about all the angles, it just works it’s angle on the story and links to the other angles. MSM doesn’t work that way. MSM wants you to stay with them or a “partner” – usually another media entity with common ownership. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming the blogosphere is one great big love-in where nobody cares about traffic. It isn’t, they do. But competition takes a different form – if you don’t link where appropriate, traffic goes down. It’s that simple. Part of your importance as a blogger isn't just original content, but putting it into context.
Jeff at Caerdroia and The Daily Pundit also have thoughts on differences between blogs and MSM.
Two excellent points, I must say. I think I would generalize the difference into the fact that Bloggers acknowledge what they are and don't pretend to be something they're not. MSM feigns objectivity, and doesn't acknowledge any biases (and I'm not just talking about ideological biases though that's part of it).
Glenn Reynolds mentioned it in a post recently: The internet is a low trust environment, which, ironicially, makes it more trustworthy. You know to take something you read on the internet with a grain of salt, but something you see on 60 Minutes, with it's impeccable journalistic reputation? That's unquestionable... but not anymore, I guess...