When Bloggers Say No to a Simple Chat.

Byline: Steven Levy

When Wired magazine writer Fred Vogelstein set out to write a story about a Silicon Valley blogger, Mike Arrington, he figured he would do what virtually every professional journalist does--interview key people, either face to face or by telephone. It's the acid-tested methodology of reporters everywhere. But in this case, simply by making the request that newspaper and magazine scribes make thousands of times a day, Vogelstein found himself in the middle of a controversy that's challenging the utility, the accuracy and the very morality of the real-time interview.

Here is what happened to Vogelstein when he sought his interviews. First, blog entrepreneur Jason Calacanis told him he would not speak to him, but answer questions only by e-mail, something Vogelstein wouldn't agree to. Then, blogging pioneer Dave Winer told him he would not be interviewed by phone. He suggested that Vogelstein e-mail questions that he would then answer publicly on his blog, a solution for which Vogelstein had even less enthusiasm.

These rejections should have been no big whoop--journalists get turned down all the time. But in this case, both Calacanis and Winer trumpeted their turndowns on their well-read blogs. Apparently they hit a nerve, because the issue redounded all over the blogosphere. The main subject of the story, Arrington, lamented on his blog that the Wired story was blown and would probably be killed. Soon no less than The Washington Post (the parent company of news-week) was using the case to examine the dynamics of the journalistic interview in the user-generated 21st century.

What are the bloggers complaining about? As Calacanis wrote to Vogelstein, "I don't want someone taking half a sentence or paraphrasing me ... Just too much risk." Neither Winer nor Calacanis is unaware of the value of a live ...