On Newspapers, Blogs, and.. the Fifth Estate?

I've been reading Sanjay's ("Wretched Scribe's") posts and listening to NPR commentary with great interest about the demise of the newspaper industry. I've also been spending a lot of time online trying to understand the blogging universe (come visit me at Pack of Three... I'm having a blast blogging!), and how one builds traffic for a site (any site), and how money is made.

It's puzzling to me how a site like dooce can bring in $50K a month, while the newspaper industry struggles to figure out a way to leverage the online world and realize profitability. A part of me can't help but wonder if the world of newsmen and journalists are too entrenched in yesterday's model of doing business and propagating news. But then I think, there are a lot of really smart people thinking about this problem -- so maybe its not that simple, and there's more going on.

I do think that the Web, and particular "Web 2.0" -- with all its options for communication and interactivity -- is driving profound, fundamental, structural changes in the way we get information about our world. The Web has opened the floodgates and, while there's certainly a lot of junk out there, there are also huge numbers of people -- who aren't professionally trained journalists -- who have access to valuable inside information who can now share it (blogs are just one way) and share it more broadly than ever before. In doing so, these everyday people help enlighten and educate the rest of us -- while keeping other nefarious types honest. One great example: "Dell Hell" which we discussed in class.

So while I certainly have huge sympathy for the people (particularly journalists) who are caught in the midst of these painful contractions and dislocations, I have to confess I'm not as fearful or concerned as Sanjay when he warns, "There is no guarantee that the press will remain a vital force in our democracy or that there will be a Fourth Estate that is bold enough with deep enough pockets to take on big Government, big Business or big Anything."

My sense is that there's a whole broader public that's vested and now, more empowered than ever before, to be actively involved in keeping "big Government" or "big Business" or "big Anything" honest.

I realize that may be a fairly controversial position or statement. But I'm not alone. David Domke who heads up the UW Department of Communications (fascinating guy!) is not only excited, but hugely optimistic about what the Web, and Web 2.0 in particular, has done and will do for the future of democracy. (Can you hear our anthem playing in the background yet?)

Anyway, my 2 cents. Thanks for reading!