As he might say, just kidding. However, I was struck by the similarity between his comments on blogging and some of what we discussed in here in the post, Are Us Bloggers to be Trusted? Recently, Jon interviewed David Perlmetter, author of Blog Wars, on the Daily Show recently. The book, itself, covers political blogs but the discussion is relevant beyond that topic. Here are some excerpts:

David: “I think that the good ones (bloggers) are helping to expand democracy and give more people access to the political process.

Jon: Do you think there is push back? Is there a sense that people are accepting the new medium? Or resenting it” Or just looking at porn? What do you think is going on?”

David: “ I can’t speak to the last one…but blogging has become part of the political process (he elaborates)

Jon: “Is there a fear that they are using it as a Trojan horse? (he goes on to express the concern that people may be getting paid behind the scenes to blog on topics)

David: “This came up in the 2006 campaign… Sock puppets in the term for people who just repeat (the party line). But you know blogging is like a personal relationship and you learn over time who is just feeding you what they get (off the party web site) and who is authentic.“

Jon: “ You see this is the thing about blogging. Any of the criticism about it… They say oh this person hasn’t been vetted or this work hasn’t been vetted, but the work speaks for itself. I do not know how you can be negative about something that is just…It is like saying I don’t like these writers because it is just writing (elaborates) If you find someone you like you follow them. I do not understand why there would be push back.”

David concurs that blogs have become mainstream and Jon agrees says that some bloggers are just as good as the mainstream journalists.

I sat through some of the early “wars” between political bloggers and mainstream press in panels during 2004 and 2005. Now blogs are an accepted channel as we can see everywhere. Blogging came to the forefront of attention during the US Presidential election of 2004, as both sides used it. Blog was Webster’s word of the year in 2004 and bloggers were one of ABC News’ “People of the Year.” Then the business world caught on. Fortune Magazine named blogging in the top ten business technology trends for 2005 and the Harvard Business Review included business blogs in their list of breakthrough ideas for 2005. Blogs made the cover of Business Week in 2005. Now the issues that came up in political blogging are coming up in business blogging to no surprise.