Tuesday, October 28, 2003

Newspapers aren't going away in the weblog world, they're going to get better.   Take this example of blog-driven reporting: The N&R runs a business section front-pager saying that Cherokee Investment Properties is still considering the purchase and renovation of the old Wachovia building in downtown Greensboro.   It's a useful article, in that it updates a major economic development story, but clearly it's news today only because this weblog reported last week that the deal would fall through. Which, by the way, it will -- development costs may be 40% higher than the original $20 million estimate.   This conversation between weblogs and the mainstream press is a good thing, all the more so in a city with one daily newspaper. 7:53:49 AM    comment []

The Bush administration chose to go to war in Iraq. Whether that was a sound strategic move or not in a larger war on terrorism, the timing and conduct of the campaign were dictated by the United States. So shouldn't we have known what we were getting into? Shouldn't this occupation and reconstruction have been planned carefully, the costs and hazards honestly assessed? Look what we're getting instead. Washington Post: "The president, speaking after attacks on police stations and a Red Cross facility in Iraq killed at least 35 people, said such attacks should be seen as a sign of progress because they show the desperation of those who oppose the U.S.-led occupation." Geez, who writes his stuff, Glenn Reynolds? John McCain: "This is the first time that I have seen a parallel to Vietnam, in terms of information that the administration is putting out versus the actual situation on the ground." 6:50:51 AM    comment []