[Keyword: onlinejournalism]. That’s the question posed by Paul Berger at the OJR. Up till now, the answer has been a definite “yes”, but Berger notes “the British blogosphere’s first scalp” in the resignation of Guardian reporter Dilpazier Aslam after a number of blogs revealed that he was a member of a radical Islamist political party, Hizb ut-Tahrir.

“It wasn’t until the uproar created by the British blogs that the Guardian suddenly found his affiliation incompatible with his position at the newspaper. When asked to choose between the paper and the party, Aslam chose the latter, leaving on July 22.”

However, “It is perhaps indicative of the limited influence of the British blogosphere that its first and only scalp was that of a trainee reporter.”

Berger goes on to make an excellent comparison between the US and UK media climates and the various reasons why the blog climates differ.