A night on the town (*updated)(**updated)(***updated)(****updated)

Last night I attended a meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).
The group put together a distinguished panel of experts to discuss the new media, blogging and ethics.

On the panel were:
Attorney Terry Francke, of CalAware.
Writer Mickey Kaus, Kausfiles at Slate.com
Attorney Jack Lerner, a USC expert in intellectual property and technology law
Kevin Roderick, Pulitzer Prize winner and publisher of LA Observed.
**Roderick modestly points out he was editor on two undertakings that won the LA Times news staff Pulitzer Prizes.

There was heavyweight discussion on several issues. Francke suggested Thomas Jefferson would have been a top blogger, if blogs were around back in the 18th and 19th Centruies.
Kaus suggested SPJ's ethics rules don't necessarily apply in the digital age.
Lerner discussed recent case law, including the Apple vs Bloggers case.
Roderick talked about his blog, and how it got off the ground as a conservative political destination of choice when he leaked an LA Times editor's memo on abortion.
Joel Bellman, former Her-Ex opinion page editor, who is now Zev Yaroslavsky's press deputy, MC'd the deal. I like him because he's admitted anonymous source and level-headed moderator, especially when the conspiracy kooks come out. (And they did)
***Bellman points out I promoted him above his pay grade at the Examiner.

"You inadvertently promoted me at the Her-Ex. I was an editorial writer and rotating op-ed columnist - I was NOT the opinion-age editor (that distinction belonged to Gary Spiecker, an excellent fellow and longstanding assistant editor of the LA Times Sunday Opinion section.)"

My big question of the night for the panel was what's your home page? and what web sites do you regularly visit.

Got some interesting responses:
The Arts and Letter Blog is apparently well respected.
The Drudgereport got some notice, especially from Kaus who cited its more even-handed approach in recent years.
NYTimes.com also received kudos, especially from Bellman, who said it's the best newspaper site out there.
"Loads fast," he said.

Roderick also noted the healthy blog exchange taking place in the San Gabriel Valley. Noting that there are several "political blogs" and anonymous blogs getting a lot of attention.
* Looking at my notebook There were a couple of links I forgot.
* Kaus mentioned he was a fan of lukeford.net An LA area blog.
* Roderick mentioned the FOX 11 LA blogs, noting they are "mostly insipid."
* He praised others like John Schwada's.
****I should really work harder to check this stuff out before I post!
****From Bellman for Roderick:

...the site I meant to reference last night was not Arts & Letters Daily but Arts Journal, another very high quality site with many smart and interesting voices. The arts blogger whose name I couldn't remember is Tyler Green., whose site is Modern Art Notes.

http://www.artsjournal.com/
http://www.artsjournal.com/man/

*****Just realized I don't know how to spell Kevin Roderick's last name. (It's been changed to the proper spelling throughout)