Collaboration not Competition

The New York Times article addressing Talking Points Memo made a significant argument as to why the blog is so successful. The history of how TPM became a now-famous muckracking blog is based heavily on the concept of collaboration with not only other outlets, but their readers as well. 

As Josh Marshall and his colleague worked to break their story on the firing of attorneys that did not agree with President Bush's agenda, they utilized their audience to be successful. 

In an era of increasing media that focuses on being interactive with its audience, blogs and other online news sources must incorporate that interaction with readers in order to be successful and to have meaningful content. 

Blogs are usually targeted at a particular audience - therefore serving these communities. How can a blogger expect to fully service his or community specified community without somehow involving this group of people in the creation, review, or distribution of its media.