"Why

In this article in The Atlantic, Andrew Sullivan writes about why he blogs - literally taking us on a journey through time and over seas. He discusses the importance of blogging in the journalism world. There's little retroactive editing or retractions. It's quicker; it reaches a greater number of people. And it makes for more effective journalism.

We blog now—as news reaches us, as facts emerge. This is partly true for all journalism, which is, as its etymology suggests, daily writing, always subject to subsequent revision. And a good columnist will adjust position and judgment and even political loyalty over time, depending on events. But a blog is not so much daily writing as hourly writing. And with that level of timeliness, the provisionality of every word is even more pressing—and the risk of error or the thrill of prescience that much greater.

As you can imagine, it also creates more competition in journalism. Blogging makes getting "scooped" that much easier. And because my entire class is using this blogging site for free, I know that "internet journalism" will likely be cheaper than print journalism. Several of my peers are getting four year degrees here at the University of Maine in journalism; I bet very few of them are preparing for a digital career.

It's a bitter thought, but if anyone can be read on the internet, why are my peers wasting their money on this technical education? How soon before blogs overtake newspapers completely? I guess the silver lining is that a lot more people will be able to work from home nowadays...