Cindi Scoppe and Warren Bolton of The State are succumbing to the pull of the blogosphere.
They’ve just launched a new blog called “And another thing…,” subhed “Opinions and observations we couldn’t fit in the paper.”
The first item is an “I told you so” post noting that the S.C. Tobacco Collaborative has found that the effect of raising the cigarette tax in SC has been just what we predicted it would be:
Key findings include the following changes since 2007:
A 19 percent decrease in the high school smoking rate (from 19.1 to 15.4 percent);
An 8 percent decrease in the state adult smoking rate (from 19.2 to 17.7 percent);
A 47 percent decrease in the middle school smoking rate (from 9 to 4.8 percent); and
A 32 percent decrease in per capita cigarette pack sales (from 96.4 to 61.9 packs per capita)….
Basically, it looks like they’re going to use the blog for the same purpose for which I started mine — to let readers in on all the stuff that lay behind our opinions, but couldn’t fit into the limited confines of the print medium.
Here’s hoping they can find the time to stick to it. If they do, it will be the paper’s first active opinion blog since a certain party got laid off. This is something, I believe, that the paper and its readers need. But I would think that, wouldn’t I?
Welcome to the ‘sphere, y’all…
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Just as blogs are becoming so irrelevant, Google even killed Reader…
Says the leading blog commentress.
But I am one of teh olds. I read the paper in paper, for one thing….
2007 called and said “Congratulations!”
Now, now, y’all. They’re not doing it to be trendy. They’re apparently doing it for the same reason I got into it in 2005 — out of frustration over all the stuff I wanted to say or share, but didn’t have room for…
I get that they are not trying to be trendy (as if), but they are awfully late to the party. I miss Adam Beam’s city politics blog….
Yeah, Adam made a good effort. He was the only person, until now, really to take an interest in blogging since I was there…
He’s taken a job in KY
Hopefully, they’ll have some fun with it.
Uh oh! Cindi and Warren are gonna be goners. Blogging is the first step to disappearance.
You’re right….
“Off the Leash” blogging is the first stage of the ‘freedom of conscience’/corporate journalism delusion.