Is the Political Blogosphere Sustainable?

Lately the ever growing blogosphere has garnered quite a lot of attention from the mainstream media. Everyone wants to get in on the action. As more and more people start their own blogs, and existing blogs become increasingly influencial, there has been a tendency to pronounce that the 'Age of the Blog' is now apon us. But I think there is reason to worry that the political blogosphere, at least in its current form, is unstainable.

The political blogosphere as we know it depends heavily on free access to the vast amount of information that the internet provides. Bloggers tend to be commentators, not reporters; we generally don't report the information in the first instance, but rather we find it and focus readers' attention on it. Bloggers are essentially guides to the internet; we survey what's out there and highlight want we think is most important or interesting. The job of discovering and reporting news in the first instance still largely belongs to the major news organizations. The blogosphere that we have become accustomed to relies heavily on these primary sources (largely the websites of the major newspapers and magazines). We surf these sites for stories we find interesting and facts to buttress our arguments. We then link to these primary sources in our posts, an act which allows readers to further explore the issue while at the same time keeping us honest.

There are, however, some dark clouds on the horizon. We're fortunate right now to live in a transitionary period in the history of media. The majority of Americans still get their news from print media and television, not from the internet. The business models of our major news gathering organizations, the newspapers and magazines, depend almost entirely on the circulation of old-fashioned printed material. This allows these organizations, in many cases, to offer free access to their online content. This free access is absolutely crucial to the functioning of the blogosphere. Without it, bloggers would simply not have access to much of the important news and commentary each day, and would therefore be unable to comment on it. And without the ability to provide free links to these online sources, much of what is great about blogs would be lost.

Unfortunately, it may not be economically feasible for news organizations to continue to allow free online access to their stories. The circulations of nearly every major newspaper and magazine are declining rapidly. The younger generation simply doesn't see the need for the paper versions. They find online content much more accessible. As more and more readers transition from print to online journalism, the news organizations will have to find some alternative source of revenue. Already, some newspapers and magazines require a paid subscription to access their online content (e.g., The Wall Street Journal and The New Republic). The New York Times has announced a plan to restrict their editorial and op-ed section to paying subscribers. As these barriers to access are erected, it will become harder and harder for bloggers to offer the same quality of product. Even if we can afford to pay all the subscription fees, we will not be able to provide free links to many of the stories and commentaries we are discussing. For casual blog readers, the lack of free links will make it much harder to verify the truth of what they read on blogs or to delve deeper into a story.

Perhaps we can find some way around these obstacles. I sincerely hope so. If not, historians may look back at the early 21st Century as the heyday of the political blog.