PressEthic

In yet another merger of traditional and "new" media, Reuters reported today that they have invested $7 million in the Web media syndication site Pluck Corp., in return for "an undisclosed ownership stake."

Pluck operates the world's biggest blog syndication network, called BlogBurst, which connects newspapers and other media sites to 2,800 selected blogs, helping traditional media supplement their journalism with blog viewpoints.

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As a provider of syndicated text, pictures and video news, Reuters plans to offer Pluck's BlogBurst blog syndication service to thousands of its media customers worldwide.

This venture is part of Reuters' "new media strategy," which also includes partnerships with several other online networks of social media and "enterprise reporting."

Blogburst currently has blogs that cover a vast range of topics, including news, politics, sports, health, fitness, technology, travel, food and entertainment.

Chris Ahearn, the president of Reuters Media division, sees professional journalists and blog commentators as essentially equal when it comes to the stories that they cover.

"Our general view is that news is news," Ahearn said. "We don't take the view there is only one view you can trust and that we have it."