The French newspaper Le Monde has not only launched reader blogs under their own brand, but they’ve also allowed reader and journalist blogs to be presented at the same level, French blogger Lo?c Le Meur reports. After two days of readers voting among the blogs to create a ranking, four reader-blogs are in the top-ten.

This kind of competition is not new within the blogosphere, but appears more or less in every blogroll on the planet, aswell as on Technorati for example – but to my knowledge this is the first time it’s been done under the brand of a traditional newspaper. And that is indeed important news.

Definitely its a bold move from the paper, and I really hope it the outcome is successful for all parties. It could very well be a way for the public sphere to be more inclusive, and open up for amateurs and professionals to work together toward a less hierarchic news production apparatus.