[Editor's note: This is day three of OJR's a week-long look at the state of independent local online news start-ups. Each day's report will include a feature article, as well as a Q&A with one or more of the day's sources.

BlogWorld & New Media Expo, the first and only conference dedicated to blogging and new media, announced today the lineup of keynote speakers scheduled to take center stage in Las Vegas - an all-star list of new media mavericks, experts, and visionaries t

Journalists in Senegal are boycotting a sports award ceremony in Dakar to protest the beatings of two reporters by police after a football match last month. Media watchdogs say the press in Senegal faces hostility from the police and government, and are c

Crowds up? Check. Television ratings up? Check. National media interest up? Check. Arrests up? Check (well, OK, sometimes you have to take a little bitter with the sweet).

The news hit the Internet late Sunday, yanking the string on the back of the talking dummy that is New York sports talk, and setting the stage for a long, chatty day.