My, oh, my, looked who's hired a blogger. The New York Times. He's Brian Stelter and he's 21 years old.

Why is this important? A few reasons fit to print:

1. It should confirm that blogging is gaining more and more establishment support;

2. This young fellow is a credible journalist in his own right already. The newspaper could have put him on the traditional print side of the paper. That they didn't means it is possible major newspapers will finally figure out how to run parallel distribution systems, hardcopy and digital, so that when everything eventually goes all digital, there will still be a New York Times.

3. That they didn't give this writer a traditional job with the paper implies The New York Times may get the fact that blogging affords a slightly different form of journalism.

4. It's also possible with this move that The New York Times may set a new blogging/reporting standard. The item notes, for example, that Mr. Stelter's posts will be edited. He's cool with that.

Admittedly, The New York Times isn't the first establishment newspaper to take the plunge. But this is pretty radical… this is The New York Times. The New York Times also doesn't hire recent college graduates for starting positions as journalists, as the news item mentions. It prefers to grow its own… or has preferred this in the past.

All I can say, folks, is The Times, they are a-changing. Are you?

Share This