It is easy to dump on bloggers and journalists love to at every opportunity.

Yes, some are totally irresponsible and will run with any story with little or no facts. Some have hidden agendas. Some have real agendas.

Some simply try to make a buck by allowing their advertisers to write columns on their blog with few facts. In essence, they have no credibility.

However, there are a number of bloggers who provide quality information and make every attempt to verify facts.

The New York Times now says that many bloggers in the cycling industry were sending up warning flags about Lance Armstrong’s doping issues well before the “mainstream” media would even consider reporting the truth about his situation.

In fact, Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post, who wrote a puff book about Armstrong, still supports him today. Most other media members have realized their mistake and have bailed on him after his ongoing cheating was unveiled.

“This is a story of how a group of people at the low end of bicycle racing used the Web and social media to take back custody of their sport from powerful dopers and liars and their enablers in the media,” wrote David Carr in the New York Times.

LINK TO ENTIRE STORY