The news yesterday that newspapers have inked a deal to syndicate blogs, is not a huge surprise. We’ve seen the rise of journalists blogging, and the blurring of the lines between columns and posts recently. USC Annenberg’s research finds that 79% of Americans have gone online, while a Pew Research Center study also finds that 67% of adults have gone over to newspaper web sites for read local or national news. But recognizing this shift isn’t easy. Kudos to the newspapers that have embraced, rather than denied the new distribution and consumption choices made by their readers.

The syndication service from Pluck, has Gannett, The San Francisco Chronicle, Austin American Statesman (which incidentally went with Pluck in September last year), Washington Post, and the San Anonio Express in a new relationship. Expect to see more creative alliances in the near future.

Jay Rosen wrote about this last month, on the benefits of loyalty and engagement that blogs bring to newspapers.

Simon Dumenco (in Advertising Age, January 16, 2006) observed quite rightly that this artificial separation between journalism and blogging must go away. The title ‘blogger’ he argues is as silly as calling someone who uses Microsoft Word, a ‘worder.’  Here’s this:

"A lot of the tendency to draw lines internally, I think, has to do with the fact that most old-school publishing organizations with online components invested heavily in the ’90s in then-state-of-the-art, but now-cumbersome online publishing systems, which are functionally very different from more nimble blogging software solutions. But over the next few years those legacy systems will be phased out and everyone publishing online will be using some form of what’s now commonly thought of as blogging software."

It didn’t take years for this to see the light of day.