ABCNews.com Adds Correspondent Blogs

Given ABCNews.com’s trendiness in other online areas — podcasting, PSP, Mobi.TV, etc.– it’s a little surprising to realize that the network is only now touting blogging with the announcement of three correspondent news blogs open to public feedback. (To be fair, ABCNews.com also led when it came to show or topic-based emails from on-air talent and producers. ) Jake Tapper (politics), Manny Medrano (legal), Ned Potter (science) and are blogging “with unprecedented insight and personality in the areas of their expertise.” Readers can respond via forms that require user names and a vaild email. They also have to follow rules. In his inaugural Sept. 15 entry Tapper describes it as “the grand abc news blog experiment. Blogs being built on spontaneity and opinion — neither of which big mainstream news organizations are particularly known for — but we’ll see how it goes.”
The press release is a little too hype-y for my taste. Their effort may be new and unprecedented for ABCNews.com but it’s not pioneering. What’s important is the continuing effort to make news two-way and to give users a vested interest in where they go to get their news. Brian Williams’ blog gives users access to his reporting — and that of his colleague’s — between newscasts and establishes a connection. ABCNews.com is a prolific syndicator, making parts of its news product available in multiple locations in multiple ways. The risk is that when a user sees it on Yahoo News, he or she may think of Yahoo as the originator, not the conduit. Efforts like this — when they work — make the news less, well, fungible.

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