I noticed that The New Republic editor Franklin Foer has posted an apology to readers about a lack of transparency in a blog written by Lee Spiegel.
You can find the offending comments here, Spiegel responded under the alias Sprezzatura.
The New Republic seems to have learned from its experience with Stephen Glass and moved on.
What is interesting is how the blogging conversation provided additional avenues for journalist misconduct that wouldn't have been available in the mainstream media.
Whilst blogging has made media much more fluid and dynamic by lowering the barriers to production, there is still a lot that the blogosphere can learn from the checks and balances of the fourth estate. I am sure that the blogosphere will get burnt with its own Stephen Glass-style scandal as part of its growth into a vibrant media industry.
There is already a payola system by Payperpost.com in place with clients such as the William Shatner DVD club.
In addition with most commercial blogs being one-man bands it can be hard to be both salesman and editor.
I suspect things will get interesting soon as blogging, podcasting and other peer-to-peer media formats undergo growing pains, providing even more fodder for discussion on this blog...
