Time Magazine has named "you" – the rise of citizen journalism, blogging, and user-generated content – as its person of the year.  I'm not sure about the person part, but it certainly was among the most noteworthy developments.  As I was preparing my A to Z year-end piece (out tomorrow), I looked back at my columns for the year and was struck by the number of stories focused on this issue (Locking Down our Digital Future, Amateurs Shaking Up Broadcasting, We Are All Journalists Now, Time to Rethink CBC as Public Broadcaster,  $20 Million in Publicity for $300, Why YouTube Won't Be Napster Redux, We're All on Candid Camera).

Critics will argue that the Time Magazine decision marks the beginning of the end, yet I think this is an important development for the policy side of the issue.  It is no secret that politicians and policy makers are typically slower to react to change. By "mainstreaming" this issue, many will take note and perhaps start factoring in user-generated content issues into cultural, copyright, and network policy.