John R. LaPlante, a freelance writer who posts to the Detroit News weblog, says political blogs can have an influence in thinly populated states in a post headlined "Blogs Spice Up Political Journalism." Excerpt:
While it is easy for bloggers to over-estimate their importance, they can have an influence, especially in thinly populated states. Where there are few outlets in the tradtional media, the voice of one or more individuals on blogs can be especially powerful. This may be the case in South Dakota, where a collection of individuals is challenging the state’s dominant newspaper. Citing instances of political bias favoring Sen. Tom Daschle, the Dakota Blog Alliance Conference is calling on the Sioux Falls Argus Leader to create “a permanent ombudsman … to review and assess public complaints.”
This spurs a recollection of an interesting comment made by John Hinderaker at the conference about the role blogs played in the ouster of Trent Lott as Republican Leader of the Senate. Hinderaker thought the true measure of the blog's influence would be if they were to play a role in the ouster of the Democratic Leader of the Senate. That, of course, remains to be seen.
The Detroit News, like the Argus Leader, is a Gannett newspaper.
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