My hope is that, through regular exposure to this peer review environment, good journalists like KT become less and less patient with lazy, lousy journalism - and speak out about it. For example, I've been heartened in the last few weeks to see people like Cokie Roberts called out for false equivalences.

I know some will object to the use of "peer" above. Perhaps expert review would be better, in that the community of the better blogs is replete with true expertise.

Cliff suggests you should get Scherer to read Sullivan's piece. My suggestion is you get anyone you can in management to read it. Michael, even though he gets pounded here, is light years ahead of the resistance by manangement of the fact that one way information is a dead business model. Its out dated and failing not because of Michael or any other writer in the business today. Management still feels the need to put news in a horse and buggy and deliver it to its consumers. Mean while more and more of their consumers are obtaining and sharing information and news by fighter jet. By the time the horse and buggy arrives the news on board is no longer relevant, is in fact not news and management has no clue what consumers have moved on to.
.
The most profound part of Scully's piece is where he says "the writer also must create an atmosphere in which others want to participate." That's what we want. That's what news consumers want. They want a chance to participate and they want to participate now. Letters to the editor that may or not get published is not the way to do it any more. Instant communication to the writer to give them feed back helps.
.
The days where a news site can close itself off to its readers' thoughts (keep their readers at arm's length) and freeze it's competitors out by not linking to them are long gone.

Just liberated a whole bunch more comments from the "moderated" penalty box, and as best I can tell, there's no rhyme or reason as to what ends up there. Really have to take this up with the HS. They don't pay me all that much, but it's too much for me to be spending my weekend doing this.

Okay, guys, my eyes are sort of getting used to this comments format. And I've got to say, I like the software better for posting.

IMHO, if there continues to be a lowering of the wall between you, the journalist, and us, the soiled masses, there should be an actual increase in eyeballs (which means profitability). Hell, if JK, AMC and the rest would begin to engage on the level that you have been doing, I suspect the interest will expand exponentially.

I can't see folks like John Broder or George Will coming down from their ivory towers to mingle, but that is why folks like you, Chris Cilizza and Sully are going to take their places. Sooner rather than later, I hope. If I were your "high sheriffs," I would shamelessly rip off the DailyKos model and modify it to use Time correspondents as the Kos, Devilstower, etc., of the site.