So only 11% of all Internet users read blogs, according to Pew Internet and American Life study. If you think that means blogs wield little influence, you need to break those numbers down. Among that 11% are are a lot of journalists, 51% according to an annual study of media’s use of the Net. And 28% rely on blogs for their day-to-day reporting.

It’s no great stretch to conclude that blogs are influencing the content that gets into the mainstream media.

The Survey of Media has been going on for some time; I cited it in the first edition of my book, “Public Relations on the Net,” which was published in 1999, and it already had five years’ worth of data at that point. Columbia University’s Dr. Steven Ross has been with the study since it started, partnering with Don Middleberg of New York’s Middleberg Public Relations. According to Ross—who is also a partner in Euro RSCG Magnet (which acquired Middleberg):

???As blogs continue to gain in popularity, quality and influence, it is becoming imperative that journalists and journalism students continue to integrate blogs, especially blogs that cover technology, into their reporting practices. A number of credible and influential Weblogs ??? such as Scobleizer, Gizmodo, and Boing Boing ???- provide an invaluable trove of research, story ideas, and other information that current and future journalists would be remiss not to leverage in their reporting.”

Thanks to Editor’s WebLog for the heads-up.

UPDATE: Constantin Basturea sends along this link to the slides presented by EURO RSCG Magnet at the launch of the 11th Survey of the media (PDF, 1.8 M).