Weblogs again are playing a central role in a major story -- this time the uproar over the veracity of old memos cited in a "60 Minutes" report questioning President Bush's National Guard record.
But this go-around shows how the blogosphere may be maturing from a medium characterized by just commentary and the usual anti-media hyperventilation to one where reporting skills are also taking center stage.
Bloggers with expertise in the arcana of type fonts and typewriters have weighed in on the debate, while others have unearthed old manuals on the capabilities of electric typewriters, described military protocols in preparing official memos, or interviewed experts in handwriting analysis.
The
Los Angeles Times has a wrap-up story detailing how blogs advanced the story. Or go directly to weblogs like
Power Line or
Free Republic (where questions about the memos apparently first surfaced). And for blog reporting that supports the authenticity of the memos, check the postings at the
Daily Kos.
One lesson in all this is that the old days of news-media control of the information flow are rapidly fading. Reporters need to figure out how to work with blogs and the rest of the online world in reporting a story, rather than just dismissing them as a distraction or annoyance.
Comments
like this from
Dan Rather -- "Until someone shows me definitive proof (the memos are not authentic), I don't see any reason to carry on a conversation with the professional rumor mill" -- just don't cut it anymore.
In my posting I mentioned bloggers had interviewed a handwriting...
