It struck me over the weekend (while flying a kite by the way) how blogging is similar to the pamphlets and newspapers of the American Revolution. Yeah, I know that’s not a very coherent line of logic to follow, but there is a place they both share.

In the 1760 and 1770s most of the people living in the colonies weren’t very literate and word of mouth was still the best way to spread the news. Granted there were lots of people that could read and write so newspapers did a booming business but they weren’t what we would really consider newspapers. They were more or less opinion columns wrapped around tiny nuggets of real news, shaped to support the writer’s point of view. Fair and biased were not yet terms that could be associated with newspapers.

So when news broke of a new tax being levied by Britain on her colonies it was the pamphleteers and newspapers that created exaggerated tales to stir up colonists’ emotions. When the disagreements began to calm down between the Crown and the colonies in the late 1760s it was this same group that kept the revolutionary fires smoldering.

The technology is different, but many bloggers are doing the same today. Electrons are cheaper so there is a wider array of opinions on display than there was at the formation of the nation, but the concept is still there. People are getting emotional about issues and trying to stir up conversation among the masses. Like before not everyone is coming down on the same side (despite what you learned in junior high school many colonists were in favor of remaining a part of the British Empire) and not every issue finds a voice. Still the independent blogger keeps on typing.

And now the major news players are beginning to take notice. The Washington Post has for the past few months been linking back to blogs (via Technocrati) that reference their stories. CNN is creating a special place for bloggers to place their stories and video clips, giving semi-official status to the articles that are approved. Bloggers have broken major political stories (see Clinton/Monica and Kerry/war record) and been on the edge of social trends. It could be the signal that our concept of what is and is not news is changing again.