But unfaithful ones are welcome too!
With the recent local blog coverage of Friday’s Louise Smith v. Bill Reddish knock-down drag-out on WICO-AM, it’s made me realize that for a growing number of people the blogs are getting to become their number one or number two news source. And with the multiple outlets giving either primary or secondary coverage (in other words, the interview would be considered primary and commentary by bloggers or readers secondary) we begin to see a situation where multiple sources may start competing for a limited amount of time.
And so it is that I run into the situation I’m beginning to foresee for myself. Because I have no desire to lead a hermitic lifestyle and sit around all the time on the internet, I find it harder and harder to find time to read all of the blogs on my formerly manageable bloglist. For example, there’s 28 blogs in the Maryland Bloggers Alliance now. It’s like I have to do a triage now and go to just the ones that regularly update themselves and present good, timely information. In addition, there are the mainstream news sources out there and they are still of great importance.
So I’m curious to see what my readers think. It’s a situation where a poll won’t quite do, so this amounts to almost an open thread for comments that I’ll attempt to moderate on a pretty regular basis given my schedule.
Before the internet and prior to me moving here, I used to subscribe to my local small-town newspaper. On the average I’d say it took me a half-hour to read a weekday paper, more like an hour for a Sunday edition.
So given those time frames, here’s my question:
If you have a half-hour daily to read the blogs and other mainstream news sources most important to you – which ones do you read and why?
Obviously since you’re here reading the question I don’t count in this case. I have my own answers as well, which I think will be a follow-up and summary post this time next week. Meanwhile, I’m going to spend my time culling my own “favorites” list so I can make better use of my valuable time.
I skim this & several other blogs almost daily for local news because the Daily Times is such a poor news media. But, unfortunately, there’s no good local news blog either, although the analysis presented here is often good if spotty. The other blogs are highly polemic, and their news content suffers in both quantity & quality. Sometimes they have something mixed in with the junk, but not often.
No doubt this reflects the economic reality, with the DT being the only truly profit making news media, due mostly to its advertising content. It also reflects the personality of the particular bloggers.
PS — Bill Reddish deserves credit for making his apology to Ms. Smith. And I hope that he will start doing more news reporting that he initiates, rather than just lip syncing the Daily Times.
PPS — She gets worked up, too, by her evasive conduct and mannerisms (and also a lot of folks that I know).
Lets get the petition rolling and let the people of Salisbury use the voting booths as a poll~!!!
I think all blog fans are getting into info overload. There is so much of it available, you have to pick and choose.
I like to read the news/opinion sources that tell what’s going on in a reasonable way. The so-called MSM are supposed to be reasonably objective, so I don’t like it when they try to manipulate me (ie-the Disgrace). I only get the highlights there.
I read duvafiles, Delmarva Dealings and your blog, along with Drudge and World Net Daily.
I don’t care for the ones that rant and carry on a lot, or write just to post something.
I think, with all the info that’s out there, many of us like a quick read that tells the story (perhaps with a link for those that want to go deeper..)
Those are the ones I tend to favor.
Hope that helps.
I used to think the newspaper was stupid. That has changed. I think the blogs have proven the newspaper to be more right than I knew. The bloggers in this town are all people with huge chips on their shoulders Harrison, Duvall, Albero) seeking revenge against the powers that be.
Michael’s site here is nice, but it’s little more than a Republican party newsletter and an exercise in mental masturbation.
The newspaper — sad to say — is winning.
DD Crabb
Said it all for me.
So “Ditto”.
We visit Delmarva Dealings, Duvafiles,Salisbury News daily. I enjoy them all, I think monoblogue tries too hard to be politically correct at times, Duvafiles is like siting in a men’s club in London exchanging witticisms, Dealings resembles listening to the wisdom of a truly informed citizen, Salisbury News is like dishing it with my friends and neighbors, its all SO much better than the Daily Times!
Fred & Tweety B. are right on — the Daily Times wins by defaiult not by quality. The local blogs are barely mediocre as news sources, with most of their comment being diatribe laced with smugness written by pontificators. But it’s free and better than nothing if not the Daily Times.
Do you use an RSS reader to scan the blogs? It saves a lot of time loading web pages, etc. If you like the feed description, you can go to the site for only what you want to read.
Unfortunately, not all of the blogs have RSS capability (particularly Blogspot ones) so I can’t use that. It’s just easier for me to blow through them and check them out.