No Runny Eggs

Joining me in live-blogging, Aaron of Subject to Change

10:00 – Charlie opens with a national look at what blogs (Rather, Miers, among others) did. Says in 1998, there were 23 blogs, in 2002-750,000 blogs, now-millions).
The panel, left to right, Jeff Mayers (WisPolitics/WisOpinion), John McAdams (Marquette Warrior), Charlie (Sykes Writes), Jessica McBride (McBride’s Media Matters), Owen (Boots and Sabers/Badger Blog Alliance). First question, “Who reads them?” Jessica – just about everybody. John – mainly Marquette types. Owen – mix of opinion-makers and average people. Jessica says that politicians are starting to court bloggers to amplify their messages.

Charlie asked Owen about how blogs are fact-checked. Owen says that it’s a building of trust and a meritocracy, and that bloggers are held accountable by their readers. Jessica and Jeff agree. Commercial.

10:11 – “How have blogs changed the mainstream media?” Jeff – there’s no technical hurdoe anymore, another alternative voice like talk radio keeping the media honest. Jessica – expounds on the alternative voice, saying it stays there after the host goes off the air; helps keep media honest. John – bloggers can keep the media on their toes. Owen – it’ll help the media better. Charlie – or transformed, talks about the younger generation who doesn’t pick up a newspaper. John – speeds up the media (“more blog-like”), talking about the Journal Sentinel’s coverage of Marquette’s name change.

What does this do to the papers? Jeff – “Papers provide a lot of fodder” for bloggers.” Jessica – Where’s the conservative columniss in the papers?

10:19 – The quick list (no links) – nope, No Runny Eggs isn’t there. Asking now about breaking news covered by blogs. Owen – lists John’s breaking of WRIT’s not playing CHRISTmas music, his breaking of the county van in Illinois. Says the media can’t cover everything. Jessica – lists a couple of things the media wouldn’t cover because of a double-standard (Walker’s call for the end of the automatic tax increase, Doyle’s barbecue). Charlie expounds on this. Jeff – “This is like the stock market” because it helps predict what will be big. Lists the blogs on WisOpinion (Xoff Files, Free Will). John, Charlie and Jeff – helps keep stories alive. Up next, “Winners and Losers”.

10:27 – Winners/Losers (sorry, they went too fast for my semi-limited typing skills). Somebody with faster fingers or TiVo will have it.

The first of probably several extensions/revisions; James notes that he got a mention. I also seem to recall Jiblog getting a mention.

Revisions/extensions #4, take your base – Charlie and Jessica have their takes. Jessica has a second, calling Charlie the Don of Blogs to which Charlie replied, “…(T)his guy sounds kind of scary.”. I think the Joker said it best in “Batman” (the good one with Jack Nicholson), “Wait till they get a load of me.” Elsewhere, Steve at Eminent Domain and the Texas Hold’Em Blogger have some more reaction (Dennis x2), and Jib has a quick reaction or two.