News-Record.com

I think it's fair for the News & Record to trumpet this story as an exclusive, given the fact that Phillips' information originated with an N&R reporter. I think it's also fair for Phillips to blog about it before the N&R prints it. The information passed during an exchange should be fair game unless the parties agree on some sort of disclosure agreement. N&R reporters are being scooped by sources who blog to the same extent that the bloggers are being scooped.

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't suggesting that Tom should not have blogged about it. Far be it from me to suggest someone in the know not use a blog to spread information. (Although it would have been nice for Tom to give his source.) I was simply affirming that exclusivity is getting harder and harder to define.

I know you weren't suggesting it was wrong. I was simply making the point that with the rise of "citizen journalists" comes the end of true "scoops." All information is now fair game for publishing, be it in a newspaper or some obscure Web log.

I think reporters need to begin approaching their sources differently, laying the ground rules before any discussion occurs. If the reporter is dealing with sensitive information and doesn't want the source to leak it via a blog, the reporter needs to make that clear up front. Otherwise, any information the blogger gleans from the reporter is fair game for publication.

John,

A little off subject here, but does the News & Record plan to set up links to non-incumbent candidates' blogs?

I know Diane Davis ("Greensboro Peer Pressure") has announced plans to run.

There are at least a couple other potential non-incumbent candidates who have blogs also.

Particularly as individuals officially file, it seems like it would be nice for non-incumbents' blogs to either be listed on-line under your current "Blogs from local politicians" heading OR under a separate heading placed immediately above or below that heading's link.

I appreciate elected officials' blogs having links listed on the News & Record's website, but it would be more fair to allow all candidates who have blogs to receive equal treatment.

Setting this up for ALL candidates might also encourage both incumbents and non-incumbents to set up and use their own blogs. (I recently noticed a post at "The Inside Scoop" by a current city council member whom I had previously never noticed blogging. Of course, he's not running to keep his position, but it's been suggested that he might run for higher office in the future. Also, another city council member who has a blog set up has not updated it since January but still has a link to her blog on your website.)

Please let me know if it might be possible to set up links for non-incumbent candidates.

Sincerely,

Hardy

Yes, Hardy, we plan to add candidate blogs once the campaign season officially starts.

John, I wasn't aware of the discussion here but if you didn't see the comment I left on Ed Cone's Blog, I want to set the record straight. If Matt had called me with information I didn't know I would have given him time to print his story. Matt's call to me simply filled in the details(which I did not print). I found out about it that morning from Don Vaughn. If Don knew how exclusive, how exclusive could it be?