I think blogs are important, but they are largely op-ed articles. While some blogs and posts are very well written and influential, most are crap. What seems

I think blogs are important, but they are largely op-ed articles. While some blogs and posts are very well written and influential, most are crap. What seems to give some blogs their break is when they actually report news, rather than just comment on other people's stories. Nothing beats breaking a story with real facts, and as you point out, it's hard to do without a trained staff. I'm actually trying to push my own blog in the direction of reporting, but it's tough going it alone.