Wired writer Jeff Koyen ways in with some positive thoughts on the new NYT/Microsoft News reader:

BuzzMachine blogger Jeff Jarvis was notably hostile. Without previewing the software, Jarvis wrote, “The only reasons to do this are to feed editorial ego, to think you’re maintaining editorial control.” Jarvis is working with craigslist’s Craig Newmark on a yet-to-be-released software platform to organize daily news.

However, it could be argued that someone should maintain editorial control. While some news organizations are grappling with fantasists, plagiarists and Photoshoppists, that doesn’t make a trustworthy journalist of the kid with a SureShot and a laptop. As ever, the best news diet boasts traditional outlets, independent publishers and maverick journalists. Appreciating one needn’t discredit the other.

Many smart bloggers acknowledge the importance of professional journalism, which predisposes some form of hierarchical editorial decisions. It’s hard to believe that sort of publishing will ever recede completely. The question is, how will it be different, if different at all, from what we have today?