First, I encourage conservatives to avail themselves of the same opportunity.  String for the Midland Daily News - offer your services.  Even if you don't, we bloggers should cover more stuff on our own.  My blog makes a point of this - it is more an investigative journalism site than an area for my punditry, although I openly mix the two. I've been doing freelance investigative writing since before there was a www and blogs (my first stories were in 1993 and 1995, for a magazine and trade journal).  If that doesn't tickle you, submit op-eds regularly (you're not going to make a fortune stringing anyway, so op-eds are a good start and training). If blogging would have arrived 10 years earlier ...

I will personally reward the best blogger journalism in the state at the end of the year with a small financial award, but we should get into the business and not whine about those on the left doing the same.