Anyone who says the difference is shrinking is fooling themselves, because most weblogs–hey, even my own–take Times et al stories and manipulate them to prove their ideology, right or wrong. The argument can be made that Times et al is advancing their own ideology (Augusta is just an obvious example), but we are still getting news from trained people who are at the scene talking to the newsmakers, and at very least the story isn’t tainted by another layer of a blogger’s ideology, even if the blogist knows what they are talking about, though it’s a given that most–hey, even me–are out of their league.

I think the great thing about the blog-olution is that expert people, like Glenn Reynolds and Mickey Kause can be more Johnny on the spot with their criticism of the news sources, not that they can become news sources.

Thus, Google, being the sentinel of the web, should always put the news before the carrion and their critiques.

Why I’d want that any more than I’d want the sandwich artists at Subway to choose my toppings is beyond me. Provide the sandwich and I’ll decide how I’d like it to taste today, please.

Things to ignore:

1) That Pathfinder investment. We can recoup.
2) The $300 million we dropped into Barnes & Noble.com — that’ll make it back!
3) Pointcast.
4) The way our share prices since 1998 have outperformed asbestos manufacturers, but lag well behind tobacco stocks.
5) Our debt levels.
6) Our declining revenues in core businesses (Magazines, Theme Parks).
7) The way the only media companies to show any growth (NWS and VIA) are led by 70-somethings, with the offspring of at least one of those execs (Murdoch), certifiable as idiot.
8) Our disastrous mergers with tech companies (AOL, Infoseek) that have left our boards reeling and shareholders considering a revolt should we ever try that noise again.
9) All is well! All is well!

(Aside: It’s very important to keep fighting here, but the opposition is hardly capable of building a new city of Enki. One of the great things about having a predictable opposition is you always kinda know what they’re gonna do next.)