Bill Keller Vs. Bloggers

NY Times executive editor Bill Keller (pictured) told a London gathering:

“The civic labour performed by journalists on the ground cannot be replicated by legions of bloggers sitting hunched over their computer screens,” Keller said.

Keller’s writers don’t all have a great record at disengaging from their computer screens either, which is why HonestReporting/Take-A-Pen arranged for Alain Benjamin to cover last month’s Mohammed Dura trial and post this video. We knew we couldn’t rely on the Times — or the MSM in general.

Indeed, the Gray Lady’s own most recent coverage of Philippe Karsenty’s legal battle with France 2 dates back to 2005.

Blogs as we know them can’t replace the Times, but as long as his writers neglect their “civic labour,” Keller, and his paper’s readers, can expect bloggers to pick up the slack.