The Pentagon Papers: Lessons for Blogging and Journalism: The New York Review of Books has a retrospective on the 1971 Pentagon Papers case that is germane to the current discussion about blogging and journalism.
The article recounts the internal debate at the New York Times over whether to publish the secret papers and how columnist James Reston said if the Times didn't, he would -- in the Vineyard Gazette, a small weekly he owned.
Open-Access Journals Flourish: Despite concerns about the ethics of pay-for-play publishing, the number of open-access academic and medical journals is growing at a fast clip.[...]
At least 1,525 journals provide free access, making up 5 to 10 percent of the world's journals. The free journals are gaining influence too: Thomson Scientific, which tracks academic publishing, found they're commonly cited by other journals, suggesting that they're well-read. Meanwhile, other journals are opening their archives to readers for free. [...]
[T]raditional academic journals face their own potential conflicts of interest. They are, after all, generally supported by advertisers with agendas. "I would prefer, as a matter of fact, to have no ads," Journal of the American Medical Association editor Dr. Cathy DeAngelis told the health journalists. "The problem is then that nobody could afford the subscription price, or very few would."
What Can Bloggers Do That Reporters Can't? And vice versa.
Because bloggers answer to no one, they need not worry if their dispatches cause the chairman of the board of General Motors to stop talking to the publisher?or placing ads. Their independence gives them a subversive strength, one that undermines the cozy relationship the press has with its corporate cousins and government. The unmediated nature of blogs, which frightens so many professional journalists, is really a plus. With so many bloggers writing outside the bounds of authority, they've become impossible to silence or censor, and their provocations help keep the national debate going at full tilt. Too bad constructive recklessness can't be taught.
