Let the Games Begin

Things are getting interesting here at the conference, as the journalists vs. bloggers war rears its ugly head yet again.

Here's a snippet of an exchange between NY Times managing editor Jill Abramson and RSS inventor Dave Winer:

Abramson: "Do you know how much it costs to keep a New York Times bureau in Baghdad.

Winer: But there are bloggers in Baghdad - that's what you've got to deal with.

Abramson: I completely reject your premise, because I see the public service value of keeping a team in Baghdad.

Winer: Of course you do -

Abramson: Please let me speak

Rick Kaplan, to Winer: You need to be a little less defensive. Part of what is necessary in the coverage of Iraq is what a professional group of journalists can bring. Plus what the whole new world of blogging can be. It's not "instead of you".... We need as much information and as much reporting as you can get, and you can't do without what the New York Times and the networks [are doing]. She's not trying to exclude anybody. To get there in a professional and detailed way is very expensive.