PRESTOPUNDIT

After a century of relying largely on newspapers as self-proclaimed objective gatekeepers to the world of politics, Americans during this election season may be getting a sneak preview of the changing of the guard. Internet sites, especially independent but openly ideological Web logs, or blogs, are increasingly challenging the mainstream media for the hearts and minds of American readers ..

Hugh Hewitt drew more than 30,000 readers in an hour when he "live blogged" the first presidential debate, summarizing each question and answer while adding his instant analysis in real time. He has lately been posting "symposium" topics each weekend and inviting other writers to file responses on their own blogs, to which he links from his site. Markos Moulitsas Zúniga .. has 8 million unique monthly visitors to his left-leaning "Daily Kos". Moulitsas has been focusing of late on the presidential election, but he also tracks Senate and congressional races and regularly invites commentary from his huge audience. Last week, facing a deadline for his regular column on American politics in the Guardian of London, Moulitsas asked his readers what they thought he should say. Nearly 500 responded ..

It's impossible to know at this point how all of this will evolve. But it's not hard to imagine a future army of self-employed Internet journalists, writing with a well-advertised point of view, connected intimately to their readers, sharing their sources and changing, forever, the way the world interprets politics.