Which is why news-related blogs, if you notice, is mostly opinion for or against news published in the established media. They are reactive. They are also, to put it politely, of enormously variable quality. Blogs are mostly ignorable chatter. There are no entry barriers and no performance appraisals in blogging, unlike in journalism.

So, I think I have a better analogy than Reynolds. Journalism is like making wine. It takes time, money and organisation for the product to mature. Of course some journalism, like some wine, is plonk and some can leave a real sour taste. But it’s only blogging, not journalism, that’s like making beer.

But bless the bloggers who point out the vinegary equivalent of journalism. And let no journalist forget the importance of beer.