Power Line notes the trend among newspapers to emphasize opinion and commentary at the expense of reporting in an effort to cut costs and enhance brand value. The blog notes that this seems a questionable move, given that there is plenty of commentary already available online and that many of the most prominent bloggers don’t work for media companies.

It would seem that newspapers would do better to invest in reportage, but it’s hard to do that when you’re bleeding staff, circulation and advertising dollars. They’re caught between a rock and a hard place, with no apparent solution to the dilemma other than to cut to the bone and start over.

A columnist weighs in on the much-discussed question of whether bloggers are journalists and defends the role of mainstream media in original reporting. He’s right, but he’s too defensive.