Note: I endorse no candidate nor party on this blog, nor do I intend to: I simply comment on online PR & social media practices as they unfold, wherever they unfold.

Now my ramblings: Both Bill and Hillary are no dummies. They can work the press and the public through skill, experience and polish not seen anywhere else in American politics in recent years.

But, many journalists are quite pissed at what they perceive as Hillary avoiding the media and instead using her website to get her message directly to the people.

Hillary certainly knows she needs traditional media to achieve her campaign goals and ultimately win the election; however she also appears to realizes a key tenant of online PR.

Everyone is a publisher.

Hillary does continually put out news. She's doing so through her Hillary Hub. She's taking control of her message, and harnessing the power of online PR to put her message directly in front of the people - no media gatekeepers needed.

Journalists are miffed, and rightly so - they are losing that gatekeeper power they once held so tightly. That power continuing to erode, as social media and online PR take a center stage in this election cycle as never before.

Is this bad for democracy? Not in my opinion - her message travels across the Net and thus hits everyone she's targeting or seeking her news. Is this bad for journalists? Yes. They are circumvented in this process, and have to wonder about things like YouTube debates further using social media to facilitate campaign coverage. Versus the old model where we all got our news from network TV or the daily papers.

Some candidates are better adopting social media than others, as I cover in my analysis of social media news centers.

Hillary, are you avoiding tough media questions? That's for the pundits to fight out. Are you using online PR in a way never before seen in the history of American politics? Yes.

Journalists now have to accept the fact they no longer control content, news and opinion. They are but a piece of the pie - a pie increasingly offering more slices dedicated to social media and direct-to-consumer conversation.

So what's the value of traditional journalism and real reporting? Call Hillary out on news she puts out through her site. Question the policies she proposes in your columns and editorial pages. Take her to task.

But don't bitch about any candidate's ability to control media and message as never before: If you really want to complain - blame Al Gore for inventing the Internet.