In the aftermath of CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan stepping down, some bloggers are crowing about the second high-profile media casualty in five months. “The moral of the story: the media can’t just cover up the truth and expect to get away with it—and journalists can’t just toss around allegations without substantiation and expect people to believe them anymore,” according to Edward Morrissey, author of the Captain’s Quarters blog. Morrissey is a call center manager living near Minneapolis, but in his spare time he writes extensively from a conservative standpoint. His was among the blogs dogging Jordan following statements he made at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Blog headhunting isn’t just a conservative activity. Liberal bloggers revealed the true identity of a reporter who asked a setup question at a presidential press conference, forcing him to resign from his writing duties. The question is whether some of these agenda-driven bloggers relish their role in getting people fired more than revealing the truth. At least, that’s the way Jeff Jarvis, author of Buzzmachine, sees it: ““I wish our goal were not taking off heads but digging up truth.”

In the meantime, some reporters are lashing out at the perceived lynch-mob mentality while others try to make sense of the scrutiny under which they suddenly find themselves. The issue is well-covered in a New York Times story. (The link is to an alternate newspaper, since the Times moves content to a secure site after a week and I wanted this link to stay live.)