The New York Times gives well deserved praise to Josh Marshall:
Mr. Marshall does not belong to any traditional news organization. Instead, he is creating his own. His Web site, Talking Points Memo (www.talkingpointsmemo.com), is the first Internet-only news operation to receive the Polk (though in 2003, an award for Internet reporting was given to the Center for Public Integrity), and certainly one of the most influential political blogs in the country.[...]
Mr. Marshall was recognized for a style of online reporting that greatly expands the definition of blogging. And he operates a long way from the clich+Źd pajama-wearing, coffee-sipping commentator on the news. He has a newsroom in Manhattan and seven reporters for his sites, including two in Washington.
Marshall is an excellent reporter and writer, of course, but that's not all that makes Talking Points Memo a great blog.
In addition to pursuing the tips from its readers, Talking Points Memo has been known to give them assignments like wading through virtual piles of documents released by the administration. "There are thousands who have contributed some information over the last year," Mr. Marshall said of the United States attorney coverage.Dan Kennedy, a media critic who teaches at Northeastern University, has followed the site from its inception. What Talking Points Memo does, he said, "is a different kind of journalism, based on the idea that my readers know more than I do."
That, in a nutshell, is what the internet allows -- thousands or millions of people all looking around for information and sharing what they find. It's the power behind the collaborative "wiki" concept that has brought us the fascinating, wildly successful Wikipedia online encyclopedia. It's also the power behind blogs in general, and certainly great blogs like Talking Points Memo. Congratulations to Josh Marshall on the Polk award, and congratulations to everyone else who contributes to the success of his outstanding blog.