Public Eye
September 28, 2005 10:48 AM

A Guide To The Journo-Blogs

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
Mega-Media Trends
Blogging, as PE readers know, is no longer the province of those outside the media bubble. Journalists in virtually every corner of the media world are now authoring blogs that allow them to say what they don't on the air or in print. In order to make it a bit easier to navigate the rapidly expanding landscape of journo-blogs, we've decided to offer up a handy compendium for your browsing pleasure.

As for who makes the cut, it's going to be a little subjective, since there is some blurring of lines here. In general, if someone is known primarily as a blogger, even if they've published in traditional media outlets, they won't be on the list – which means people like Josh Marshall, Andrew Sullivan, and Hugh Hewitt are out. (Though Hewitt, who has a radio show, is right on the line.) If someone is known as a blogger but also makes regular contributions to a traditional outlet, however – The American Prospect's Matthew Yglesias is a good example – we'll include him.

What about people who work for traditional outlets, but do so primarily as bloggers? They won't be included, since they get paid to blog, not practice traditional journalism. (That means no Kevin Drum, Mickey Kaus, or James Taranto.) The staff of Public Eye also falls into this category.

We are also going to stick mostly with national publications – a category that includes the Chicago Tribune, but not the Pensacola News Journal – so as to keep the list manageable. This is by no means a definitive list, and if you think we've left out someone particularly worthy, please let us know in comments. (For a more comprehensive accounting, see The Cyberjournalist List here.)

And now, without further ado, the journo-blogs:


Television Journalists:

Manny Medrano, ABC

Ned Potter, ABC

Jake Tapper, ABC

Steve Harrigan, Fox News

Rick Leventhal, Fox News

Greta Van Susteren, Fox News

Brian Wilson, Fox News

Dan Abrams, MSNBC

Alan Boyle, MSNBC

The Daily Nightly (Brian Williams and colleagues), NBC

Hardblogger (Chris Matthews and colleagues), MSNBC

Larry Kudlow, CNBC

Keith Olbermann, MSNBC

The Peacock blog (David Shuster and colleagues), MSNBC

Joe Scarborough, MSNBC

Squakblog, CNBC


Newspaper Journalists:

Joel Achenbach, Washington Post

Brian Chin, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Culture Blog (various writers), San Francisco Chronicle

Mark Jurkowitz, Boston Phoenix

Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

James Lileks, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune


Magazine Journalists:

Altercation (Eric Alterman), The Nation

Michael Barone, U.S. News & World Report

David Corn, The Nation

The Corner (various writers), National Review:

Craig Crawford, Congressional Quarterly

Katrina Vanden Huevel, The Nation

Hit and Run (various writers), Reason

Scott Rosenberg, Salon

Noam Scheiber, The New Republic

Tapped (various writers), American Prospect

James Wolcott, Vanity Fair

Matthew Yglesias, American Prospect

NOTE: this post was updated to include additional journo-bloggers on Sept. 30.

Add a Comment See all 30 Comments
by selectedpete-2009 October 1, 2005 3:27 PM EDT
If MSM is serious about getting into the world of blogs, they\'re also going to have to be serious about doing playing the game differently. Groupthink usually does not help this, so I would suggest you get some of the real movers in the blog world on this list - ahem - people that forced CBS, for instance, to turn hell and worry about their processes. Barone is a start, but without Hugh Hewitt, you haven\'t even begun to grasp this. Please add Hugh to this list. Best e-gards, Selected Pete www.selectedpete.com
Reply to this comment
by videotelic September 30, 2005 7:00 PM EDT
The difference between the \"super uber blogger\" and most \"journalists\" is the blogger admits and wears his/her perspective on the sleave of the shirt on his/her back. The \"journalist\" tends to attempt to pass their biased opinion as reporting and objective relaying of the \"news\". Even while on the bogosphere, IMHO, the \"journalist\" will attempt to present their opinion as something arrived at while existing on a higher level of awareness than the \"common blogger\". The \"journalist\" will likely still try to convince others that they have an insight others do not have the ability to obtain. That \"oneofmanyusa\" is the difference and if you do not see it I am sorry for you.
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by tomgrey2 September 30, 2005 3:18 PM EDT
I see jenniedo (?) already suggested you read some of these blogs, and write about them. I suggest you take a CBS-covered story, blog about it -- then look at how a couple of other bloggers blog it. Look for sharpest \"left\" and sharpest \"right\" comments. And and YOUR comments about THEIR comments on the story, and the CBS coverage; and maybe even BBC / Reuters / NYT / your competition\'s coverage. THAT kind of story coverage comparison would be a great service, and would soon pick up audience. And maybe us anti-Media Bias folk would be more constructive rather than just point out, again, your obvious Leftist bias.
Reply to this comment
by jennyde September 30, 2005 1:05 PM EDT
Eventually you will have to look outside journalism and see that smart, educated people blog about what you would call \"specialty\" beats. It might relieve some of the journo navel gazing that is reflected in this list.
Reply to this comment
by littlehugh September 30, 2005 1:20 AM EDT
Waaaaaah! I\'m a self-described right-wing pundit and my whole basis for self-worth is based on a blog that about a handful of people who agree with me read! Why didn\'t you include me? I\'ll show you guys: Dan Rather is evil! There, I sure showed you! The press is all biased left. Everyone should listen to me, because I\'m impartial and George W. Bush is never wrong! By the way, Reagan should be on the ten dollar bill, not that liberal dummy Hamilton! Nixon was a great man! I worked in his library! Why won\'t anyone take me seriously? I have a BLOG, for pete\'s sake! I matter! Please, please include me on your list! Maybe then I won\'t loathe myself so much! Sincerely, Hugh
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by djman1141 September 30, 2005 1:00 AM EDT
CBS puts up a list with about 80% of its bloggers either left or hard left or loony left [Alterman]. Doesn\'t CBS have a clue about its reputation for the sort of mindless leftism that the incoherent former anchor Rather churned out like a socialist robot? Why not get semi-literate Dan on your bloglist, since most of your selections appear to smack of his slant skewed to the ANSWER end of the political spectrum? Or Merry Marxist Mary Mapes herself? And Ed Bradley to give the ?$& black perspective?
Reply to this comment
by jenniedo--2008 September 29, 2005 5:55 PM EDT
Thanks for this, Brian! How about some commentary on each?
Reply to this comment
by sanfelz September 29, 2005 4:36 PM EDT
Some bloggers sure seem to be smug about the reliability of their world-view.So smug that they are guilty of the same tunnel vision they accuse others of having.
Reply to this comment
by jennyhatch September 29, 2005 2:24 PM EDT
\"I don\'t know what happened. My ironclad rule is to hit \"Publish\" once and I absolutely did observe it in this instance.\" Well, I noticed the No html rule after I posted my comment, but I figure CBS has some good effective \"thought police\" types who will come into their comment section and edit out all of the unwanted posts. It was a good post, so perhaps reading it over and over again will be food for thought for our \"friends\" at CBS. I\'m still chuckling to myself at the very idea of the \"annointed at C BS\" even presuming to give advice to readers about relevant or \"worthy\" blogs, the arrogance and absolute stupidity. Don\'t you guys get it??? Your day is over... Let FREEDOM ring!!! Jenny Hatch
Reply to this comment
by jennyhatch September 29, 2005 2:15 PM EDT
BaWAAAAHAAAAAHAAAA!!! As if anything C BS says is relevant or important to the blogosphere! Ha HA HAAA HA Jenny Hatch <a HREF=\"http://WWW.NaturalFamilyBlog.com\">Mommy Blogger</a>
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