AP Follows WP To Recognize Blogs

The Associated Press’ hosted newswire will follow the Washington Post and Newsweek’s linking of blogs that discuss its reports. This is both a major event in recognition by AP of blogs as an important source of additional information and comment and may be an important spur to blogs to add value.

Danny Glover’s Beltway Blogroll buzz column, “Old Media and New Media Converge,” tips us to the linked PR Newswire and the AP’s Technology Writer pieces.

Many of us bloggers run segments or posts that are just links to MSM articles we deem of interest. The AP, as the WP, uses Technorati to locate blog linkages, so many of the links displayed on their online webpages are merely circular references back to the article. That may serve some buzz value to the AP or WP about what they’ve served up is of blogger interest.

But, it does not serve as much of an adjunct or critical function as may be needed to improve MSM reporting.

The AP, WP, New York Times, Reuters, AFP newswires are the source of virtually all the national and international news that appears in most American newspapers. Most newspapers just rely on one or two. Some, such as my hometown San Diego Union-Tribune, blend their accounts to yield more complete coverage.

Opening up the newswires to blogger comment links, if not perhaps the “convergence” that Glover calls it, makes available to their subscribers and readers the input of blogger ombudsmen.

Now, it’s up to more bloggers to be up to that responsibility, by more informed and well-argued comment.