Reporters Find New Outlet, and Concerns, in Web Logs

Given the space and time constraints of most news media companies, audience reaction often gets little attention. But Eric Alterman has so much room in his Web log on MSNBC.com that earlier this month he devoted an entire entry to readers' e-mail — 8,000 words of it.

Mr. Alterman, who is also a media columnist for The Nation, and other print and television journalists are discovering the freedom of Web logs, or "blogs," online soapboxes that typically consist of frequent entries with pithy commentary and links to other Web sites. But that freedom can also have some unpleasant consequences.