There’s a new, unconventional force in the land. “Blogging” (the term comes from “blog,” short for weblog) is beginning to set the agenda for our conventional media. Bloggers claim credit for forcing the resignation of Eason Jordan as head of CNN News, for pushing Dan Rather out as CBS anchor, and even for causing Canada’s sponsorship inquiry to make public the damning testimony of Jean Brault, the Montreal adman who says he was pressured into paying kickbacks to the Liberal party.

Why are journalists and with-it business executives so hooked on blogging? Is it the new electronic version of “vanity publishing?” Is it a genuine threat to established media, a potent corporate tool, a new level of access for alienated citizens, or simply low-grade electronic water-cooler gossip – or all of the above?

Panelists:

Edward Morrissey, or “Captain Ed”, as he is known by his readers, is the U.S. blogger who webcast a virtual transcript of the banned Gomery inquiry testimony. For a week this spring, more political operatives in Ottawa were linking to Edward Morrissey’s www.captainsquartersblog.com than to the websites of the Globe and Mail, CBC or other familiar news organizations. Morrissey first launched the conservative political blog “Captain’s Quarters” in October 2003. Captain’s Quarters has led the effort to bring accountability to mainstream media sources. He also writes extensively on First Amendment issues for the blogosphere and is one of the original signatories for the Online Coalition, a nonpartisan group of bloggers which demands equal treatment for New Media citizen journalists as their corporate brethren of the mainstream news outlets. Morrissey’s essays have appeared in the New York Sun, the New York Post, and the Daily Standard. He also co-hosts a weekly talk-radio show in Minneapolis with a group of Twin Cities bloggers, and has appeared on television and radio in the United States and Canada for his commentary on breaking news stories.

Julian Porter, Q.C., will address libel and publication bans as they relate to the internet. Julian practices as independent counsel and is co-author of the law text entitled Canadian Libel Practice. Porter has practiced litigation exclusively since 1963 and is recognized by the Law Society of Upper Canada as a specialist in civil litigation. He is a Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was also appointed to the Ontario Judicial Council and the Committee that reviews judicial appointments to the Superior Court of Justice.

Andrew Coyne is a Canadian blogger and national affairs columnist for the National Post. He has been an editorial writer and columnist for The Financial Post, the Globe and Mail, and the Southam newspaper chain. In addition, he has written for a number of magazines, in Canada and abroad, and is a frequent commentator on television and radio. He is the winner of two National Newspaper Awards and the Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism.

Moderator:

Jesse Hirsh is the president and managing partner of Openflows, a professional services firm specializing in free software for open source intelligence. He is a frequent contributor to CBC Radio and has published and lectured extensively in Europe, North & South America on the political economy of culture and technology.