First it was Al Gore inventing the Internet.  Now I find out the Washington Post was the first newspaper to be published in electrons.

Not really, but their latest spread on technology does come off a bit high and mighty.  The Post article talks a lot about ‘repurposing’ the news, the shift in the ‘balance of power’ and how much the Internet is changing the news business.  To me this sounds like the same things that we were hearing in the early 1990s about cable news channels.  I wonder if ten years from now we’ll be celebrating the way blogs have changed how Americans think?

For all the crap that the WaPo catches (most of it deserved) they have adapted better than their local rival the Washington Times to the Internet.  Allowing readers to comment on stories and linking back to blogs that quote them is a step in the right direction.  Other media outlets would do well to follow the example set by the Post.  Simply putting the print version of stories on line is no longer good enough.

They could still do a better job of getting current content on the site.  Too many times news is taking place in DC and the Post has nothing on the site about it.  Sitting in the capital of the free world I think the Post owes it to readers to do more ‘flash’ content about major news items.  Hell, even a current scores ticker would be nice to see.

Enjoy your Monday.