Last week, CBCNews.ca unveiled the CBC News Editors Blog.

Acting editor in chief Esther Enkin wrote the inaugural post.

She closed with these grand words: Let the conversation begin.

As of today, there were nine comments from CBC audience members. Any guesses as to how many of their comments got a response from Ms. Enkin? :)

Ah well. One-way conversations aren't so bad, once you get used to being ignored. :)

The BBC has its own Editor's Blog, which has existed since May 2006. I like it because the posts seem authentic -- considering they come from senior managers. :)

However, in reviewing the most recent posts there, I don't see the Beeb editors directly responding to audience comments.

I think that's a mistake.

I believe former CBC News boss Tony Burman did respond to comments. Globeandmail.com editor Angus Frame has taken live questions from visitors, and the NYT constantly has q-and-a sessions with its senior editors.

I think that's the right approach.

In playing devil's advocate for the media policies of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, historian Allan Levine argues the prime ministers who play hardball with the media are the ones who tend to keep their jobs a while.

The NYT blurb: A growing constellation of apparently independent operators is broadcasting the message of Al Qaeda and other groups, translated into English and aimed for a Western audience online.

From the NYT:

As struggling newspapers across the country cut back on investigative reporting, a new kind of journalism venture is hoping to fill the gap.

Paul E. Steiger, who was the top editor of The Wall Street Journal for 16 years, and a pair of wealthy Californians are assembling a group of investigative journalists who will give away their work to media outlets.

The nonprofit group, called Pro Publica, will pitch each project to a newspaper or magazine (and occasionally to other media) where the group hopes the work will make the strongest impression. The plan is to do long-term projects, uncovering misdeeds in government, business and organizations.

Nothing quite like it has been attempted, and despite having a lot going for it, Pro Publica will be something of an experiment, inventing its practices by trial and error. It remains to be seen how well it can attract talent and win the cooperation of the mainstream media.

The Toronto Star has uncovered plans by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office to build its own media centre -- and supplanting the journalist-controlled National Press Theatre, where he's appeared once in 20 months.

Update

The PMO and PCO are now saying there are no such plans, or that such a plan was dropped at an early stage.