Bloggasm

Damian Penny is a lawyer in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Canada. Inspired by the aftermath to 9/11 and popular sites like InstaPundit.com, He started up his weblog, Daimnation!, in October, 2001. His site - which concentrates primarily on international affairs, but also Canadian politics, pop culture, cars and sports - is affiliated with Blogging Tories and Pajamas Media.

Simon Owens: In our last interview in early 2006, you said that blogs would never be able to replace the mainstream media because they don’t have the resources to do original reporting. Do you think now, a year later, they’re doing more investigative journalism?

Damian Penny: I think we’re starting to see a lot more “on the scene” reporting from bloggers, especially from people like Michael Totten and Michael Yon. Totten, in particular, finances most of his reporting from the Middle East with readers’ donations, and the result has been some excellent reporting you don’t see anywhere else. When bloggers have the resources, or if something important is happening on their doorstep, you get a lot more original blog reporting.

Simon Owens: Do you think that as online advertising increases, the major blogs will be able to hire on-the-scene reporters so they can break news just like other more traditional outlets?

Damian Penny: Some bloggers already publish guest posts from people on the scene, but I don’t think you’ll see reporters “hired” to report for blogs. One of the defining features of blogs is that they are personal, and most bloggers will want to keep it that way. Maybe you’ll see some add full-time guest bloggers to look at things from other perspectives. (My most prolific guest-blogger, Mark Collins, knows a lot more than I do about military matters.)

Simon Owens: I’ve interviewed a number of Pajamas Media bloggers in the past, and I always try to get their insider input on the network. How has your experience been with PM? Do you think it will continue to stay strong?

Damian Penny: I’ve been very happy with PJM, and I think they are getting better. Picking up some high-profile guest bloggers, like Victor Davis Hanson and Ron Rosenbaum, was a very good move.

Simon Owens: You said in our last interview that you first became inspired to start blogging partially because of 9/11. As someone outside the US, how did that event affect your political views?

Damian Penny: 23 Canadians were killed in the 9/11 attacks, along with hundreds of people from dozens of other countries. Attacks against one country will almost certainly have repercussions - and victims - from other nations, and Canada is so intertwined with its southern neighbour that 9/11 had to have a major impact. Indeed, many of the planes grounded on that day ended up here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Simon Owens: How does the Canadian political blogosphere differ from the US political blogosphere? Do they act in the same manner?

Damian Penny: I think the American blogosphere has received much more recognition from the US media than Canadian bloggers have received from Canadian news outlets. Some Canadian blogs have gotten pretty big, but none of them have become near-household names like Daily Kos, InstaPundit or Power Line. The high-water mark for the Canadian blogosphere was when the sponsorship scandal was at its peak - fueled, ironically, by American blog Captain’s Quarters, which had a source inside the sponsorship inquiry (and wasn’t bound by a Canadian publication ban).