Blogger Andrew Sullivan, writing in an interesting piece for Time, says people need to thank bloggers for their role in contemporary journalism. The genius of blogs, he writes, “lies not so much in the bloggers themselves but in the transparent system they have created.” The blogosphere’s collective mind is a corrective one, he adds, and he seriously disses those who look down their noses at the “guys in pajamas.”

The critics of blogs cite their lack of professionalism. Piffle. The dirty little secret of journalism is that it isn’t really a profession. It’s a craft. All you need is a telephone and a conscience, and you’re all set. You get better at it merely by doing it—which is why fancy journalism schools are, to my mind, such a waste of time.