Eric Zorn, of The Chicago Tribune, wrote a moving column regarding Alicia Frantz, a local woman who passed away when she fell off her bike and was hit by a truck. Pure chance.
So what's the big deal? Zorn also maintains a Tribune branded weblog and in connection with his column he also wrote a moving post commemorating Frantz's life. I never met Frantz and I don't think Zorn did either, but as part of the Chicago area blogging community he demonstrates that he "gets it" by including amateur pictures of her, referencing her audio work, linking to her site, and pointing to other places to get more of Alicia's story, highlighting her place within the blogging community. I'm sure The Trib is picking up quite a few reads on its site and major whuffie with Chicagoland bloggers.
This is what I was talking about before when I said newspapers might be better off achieving A-List blogger status. Just actively listening and fully participating can go a long way.