Point for Indy Media

In a recent article about Talking Points Memo and how they received the George Polk Awards, it is absolutely amazing that one journalist who had started out just as most bloggers do (at home, late at night, probably downing some caffeine-related beverage), could grow to the point where he could hire an entire staff and cause so much ruckus as to be recognized by what is essentially the Golden Globes for journalism.

The list of accomplishments goes on:

"The winners include Leila Fadel, the Baghdad bureau chief for McClatchy Newspapers, a 26-year-old woman who reports from some of the most dangerous regions of Iraq, as well as journalists who peeked under Vice President Cheney's veil of secrecy, toxic river pollution in China, unsafe cribs, infant mortality in Mississippi, the Blackwater scandal, human rights abuses in Burma, healthcare scams, and the courageous work of Oakland's Chauncey Bailey, who was slain as he investigated drug dealers in his hometown."

The most notable thing is that these accomplishments were made during a time when the industry was thought to be taking a turn for the worse. In the past few years, journalism has taken on a completely different meaning, and in many cases that means it has almost completely transformed in all aspects, including dissemination. TPM is a perfect example of how one person could take the change for good instead of bad, and make something truly important about it.

Hands down, it is one of the most influential blogs on the internet today, and has absolutely had the most significant effect on the government and society.