Medium Called Blogs Gets Media Attention; Web logs become force in reporting and shaping news, events worldwide.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Byline: BRIAN DEAGON

The Internet has changed the nature of many things, including the travel business, matchmaking, gambling, retailing and auctions. In 2004, the power of the Internet put its spin on the mainstream media.

To be sure, the Web has long been a medium for news dissemination. On an average day, 30% of people who log onto the Internet check for news, and 70% of users overall do so occasionally, say surveys.

What changed in 2004 is that the Web -- mainly through Web logs, or blogs -- became a medium for creating and influencing news coverage as well.

The clearest example of that came via Powerlineblog.com. It posted commentary on Sept. 9 that suggested documents shown by Dan Rather on the CBS "60 Minutes" show the night before about the National Guard service of President Bush were forgeries.

Powerlineblog then received hundreds of e-mails, some of which provided additional information questioning the veracity of the documents. More than 500 Web sites posted a link to the Powerlineblog item. Within days Rather had apologized, saying neither he nor CBS could verify the authenticity of the documents. CBS announced an internal investigation, which remains pending.

"This sort of real-time reporting was not possible before the Internet and blogs came into being," said Powerline founder John Hinderaker. "We are able to collect small bits of information possessed by thousands of widely scattered individuals, analyze and organize it and make it public in a matter of hours."