Best of the Web calls Andrew Sullivan's claim that bloggers had something to do with bringing down Howell Raines "a tad overwrought." I don't think bloggers did it singlehandedly. Others have said that the real key was revelations of hostility from the rest of the Times reporters and editors. But I do think that this episode shows that the internet and bloggers are becoming a real power in the media. From factchecking to spotting trends and giving a voice to views that are ignored in the mainstream media, blogs have proven their usefulness. Most savvy journalists surf the blogs, and are influenced by them, and many of them are themselves bloggers. The reason blogs are important is that they give us all an alternative point of view on current events. Overwrought or not, the point is valid that reporters and pundits will have to pay attention to the blogosphere. Now somebody just needs to figure out a way to make it economically self-sustaining.

Sooner or later someone, maybe the Big Four will set up a subscription site that will attract user fees. If the WSJ OpEd page can sell papers, why not a blog clearinghouse site? I think I'd pay $20 or $30 per year to help these guys pay the freight, but tipping is not really an equitable way to do it.

Update: John Leo of the NY Daily News agrees:

Then talk radio arose, followed by tiny and brave Times-baiting print media and, finally, Internet critics who made an enormous difference. On their Web sites, Andrew Sullivan, Mickey Kaus and Glenn Reynolds pounded away relentlessly at the errors and biased coverage The Times was serving up. They were specific, smart and quick. Their audiences were not large, but a lot of other media people read them closely, and their criticisms of The Times took hold.

So did their view of The Times as yet another stodgy, not particularly honest, institution, unable to adjust. Word got around that there wasn't much difference between the editorials inside the paper and the editorials on page 1. The editor's feelings seemed to wind up on page 1, disguised as news reports.

Collin Levey credits regional and bloggers for keeping the heat on.