Since their inception, gossip blogs have received a lot negative attention, mostly because of their association with the paparazzi and slanderous comments of those in the public eye. Take, for example, Tyra Banks.

Recently, a paparazzi photo of Banks was published online, showing the supermodel on a beach in Australia looking a little more "husky" than usual. Soon every gossip blog on the Internet was calling her names like “Tyra Porkchop,” "America's Next Top Waddle" and "Thigh-ra Banks." The picture disseminated through the blogosphere so quickly that Banks went on the offensive. She spoke about the ordeal on her talk show, referencing this post on Perez Hilton. Her diatribe was posted on You Tube and she made her way through the blogosphere once again.

In general, tabloids seem to be a guilty pleasure for a lot of readers and gossip blogs make it much easier for people to get their celebrity dirt with out the embarrassment of picking up an issue of US Weekly in the grocery checkout line. But yesterday, I started to wonder if the gossip blog goes beyond "guilty pleasure." These sites proved that they can get a story out faster than some of the largest news sites in the country. That's got to count for something, right?