Blogoland

Lots of haw-hawing from the liberal side of Blogtopia about the new "Blog News Service" venture announced by Roger L. Simon, the Power Line gang, Glenn Reynolds, Hugh Hewitt et al. I guess there's reason to raise an eyebrow or two over a 'news' service that comes from a group of people who regularly claim that criticism of the President is tantamount to treason.

But, I for one, am interested in seeing what it will look like. For years, bloggers like the aforementioned have parasitized first-hand reporting only to offer the back of their hand in return. The press? Oh, they're liberal. Elitist. In the tank with Democrats. Out to get Bush. Not to be trusted. Mistake-prone. Well, now the blog-rightists are putting the old money where the mouth is. And good for them.

Since details remain sketchy, It's not clear how this will work. I'm fairly skeptical that this will be a 'news service' in any classic sense. Will it just be a round-up of various blogger posts? If so, that's hardly news. Or, as Derek Rose notes in an unrelated topic, will the bloggers actually pick up a phone? Leave the keyboard? Go to a Senate Finance subcommittee hearing? Wander into Newark at 2 AM to report on a string of drive-bys? Do more than cut-n-paste press releases? If so, that would be impressive. Just a warning, though: Reporting, oftentimes, is hard.

Let's give 'em a chance.