I found this significant because the heart of blogging for a long time was indeed writing "comments about comments" or perhaps comments on news. Still the case for most blogs, and certainly this describes my blog.

That being said, without the news, there would be nothing to comment on at all. A few years ago, all of the US politics blogs I read were just a series of comments on the New York Times editorial page and a handful of weekly magazines. This got to be a bit tired after a while. Things have changed a lot since then, and now you have some fantastic investigative journalism going on that is completely blog driven.

So is "news" good and "commentary" second rate in some way? I suppose I have a lot more respect for real news, and insofar that China Briefing will strive to post original stuff, I applaud that move. It’s also a good marketing strategy for the blog itself, of course (yes, I do notice these things).

This isn’t to say, however, that the "mission" of the traditional blog is becoming obsolete. Far from it. Remember that the blog is simply a web-based diary of links to interesting content. Every day brings another site (news or blog) for consideration, and we can’t read everything. We rely on others to not only link to information, but to provide context and explanation, and one should not minimize the importance of those comments. Every day I read a post on a familiar subject on which someone has taken a fresh approach — sometimes you need someone to explain to you not only what is news, but why it is important.

This is still why I blog. I’m not doing this to get new clients, and I’m not trying to push a particular agenda. I am not writing a book or opening a business or selling advertising. I read a lot of things and am compelled to write comments. I like to learn, and blogging is a pathway to learning. Blogging not only forces you to stay informed, but it also connects you with other people that are smarter and better informed that you are.

Finally, one has to admit the practicalities. One cannot provide original news without a staff and a budget. For those of us who are essentially full-time employees of large organizations, blogging is the only avenue open to us. No shame in that either, and I’m perfectly comfortable with admitting that.

On the other hand, I’m not sure that I would not forego an opportunity to write news for the pleasures of commentary anyway. There’s a reason why the pinnacle of many a print reporter’s career is that twice-weekly Op/Ed piece, where the reporter gets to let out all those opinions that have been bottled up inside for so many years. Expressing an opinion is just plain fun, so while I applaud the news guys, I will continue to enjoy writing comments on comments. At least as long as someone else continues to provide us with the news upon which to comment.