Bill Safire on Blogs and Cheering "The Depressed Press"

William Safire today in The New York Times: The Depressed Press:

"Despite the recent lapses at CBS and previous mishaps at The Times and USA Today, here's why mainstream journalism has a future.
1. On the challenge from bloggers: The 'platform' - print, TV, Internet, telepathy, whatever - will change, but the public hunger for reliable information will grow. Blogs will compete with op-ed columns for 'views you can use,' and the best will morph out of the pajama game to deliver serious analysis and fresh information, someday prospering with ads and subscriptions. The prospect of profit will bring bloggers in from the meanstream to the mainstream center of comment and local news coverage.
On national or global events, however, the news consumer needs trained reporters on the scene to transmit facts and trustworthy editors to judge significance. In crises, large media gathering-places are needed to respond to a need for national community"

He has several more reasons but he clearly knows the world has changed. Maybe Mr. Safire (whom I really like) will start blogging upon his pending retirement.