E&P: WP Editor Downie: Everyone in Our Newsroom Wants to Be a Blogger

[DeepModem Mom]

Editor&Publisher: 'Wash Post' Editor Downie: Everyone in Our Newsroom Wants to Be a Blogger
By David S. Hirschman
Published: October 06, 2006 12:50 PM ET

WASHINGTON -- Speaking at the Online News Association's annual convention in Washington, D.C., Friday, Washington Post editor Len Downie looked back on the changes in newsgathering and production over the past decade, and listed some of what he thought would be the biggest challenges for news organizations in the near future.

Downie said that when it first became apparent that the Internet would change the news business, executives and editors worried that its influence would erode the quality of journalism, increase competition, and become a distraction for the reporters and editors working on the print edition of the paper. But he said instead that the increased focus on the Web has "improved journalism a lot, way more than we could have expected."

He said that the 24/7 news cycle has changed his newsroom for the better, with reporters always tuned in to what's happening and constantly trying to find stories to report for the Web site -- and that reporters could add more detail because the Web had "unlimited newshole."...

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Reporters love newsroom blogs, said Downie, because they put writers in better touch with their readers: "Everyone in our newsroom wants to be a blogger."

And the blogs that pick apart every article that the Post produces are a good thing, said Downie, because they "keep the paper honest" and, even if their commentary isn't positive, bring people to the site....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221716