Rachelle's Reading List, Thursday February 2nd, 2012

Tumblr Makes Itself The News [NYTimes] The popular social blogging site Tumblr is hiring writers and editors to cover the world of Tumblr. Chris Mohney, a senior vice president for content at BlackBook Media, will be the site’s editor in chief. Jessica Bennett, a senior writer and editor at Newsweek and The Daily Beast, will be the executive editor and, she said, a kind of Tumblr correspondent. This is really cool news for all of us Tumblrers.

“Basically, if Tumblr were a city of 42 million,” Ms. Bennett said, referring to the number of Tumblr blogs that exist, “I’m trying to figure out how we cover the ideas, themes and people who live in it.” There are many Tumblr blogs that could be covered, and some have already won broad attention. Last fall, for instance, a blog that posted stories of hardship and titled itself “We Are the 99 Percent” was widely cited in the media as Occupy Wall Street protests spread across the country. Ms. Bennett, when asked what statement Tumblr was making by bringing her and Mr. Mohney on board, said, “Tumblr is basically hiring a staff to celebrate creativity and innovation. How many companies can say that?”