Do editors and blogs mix?

Wired has an interesting story on the lessons from BloggerCon, a blogging conference at Harvard last week. The story says many bloggers, including some former journalists, are saying journalistic standards shouldn't apply to blogs. (No kidding, although when my blog publishers can afford for me to hire an editor, I intend to do so.)

OK, you can't expect single-person blogs to have the same standards as big organizations. That's a given. But some people are against Big Media's having blogs at all.

Some journalists-turned-bloggers see the entrance of big media companies into the blogosphere as an intrusion into an emerging literary form, which should be free of editors and centralized authority.

Give me a break. You can't have it both ways: People want some flavor in their news, but only the little guy is allowed to spice things up.

The story includes a couple of editing references: On the New York Times' campaign blog: "The Times blog also includes words and phrases liked 'nixed' and 'bunk up' that would ordinarily make a copy editor apoplectic. " My heart flutters at the mere mention.

But Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine misses having an editor.

Without an editor, Jarvis said he has had the complete freedom to become a blowhard.
"I plan on writing an entry soon," said Jarvis, "which I will call 'Blogging made me an asshole.'"

I guess we can add that to our resumes: Write headlines, edit for grammar and style, cover up reporters' inner asshole.