Ezra Klein is leaving the Washington Post

[frazzled]

1. I wonder who's bankrolling the new venture

Because that's a pretty grand scheme, requiring a lot of bazookas.

When the Washington Post went behind a pay wall last year, I think it really cut into readership of that blog. I know I used to check it out every day, and even comment sometimes. Now, I rarely go there, and notice that the comments have reduced to a trickle. Maybe that also entered into his decision.

I'm a little perturbed by this. Back when the whole idea of blogs started, I was skeptical that it would be revolutionary. I said back then that it would eventually just recapitulate traditional journalism, with an "authorial voice" speaking and everyone else passively receiving. (Sure, there are comment sections, but it's sort of like letters to the editor on the back page; it's really basement-level. back-room participation.) Never did I imagine that most bloggers had ambitions larger than becoming the star op-ed writer. Starting your own "news organization": that's Citizen Kane level chutzpah.

Well, I'll watch it with interest. I think Ezra is smart, even when I more than sometimes disagree with him. But I worry a bit about the megalomaniacal nature of this. They're going to have to work hard at keeping it "real."