Sullivan, Lemann, and Brown...

It's not a law firm. It's our guest lineup for Wednesday's second hour. The Atlantic's superblogger Andrew Sullivan — he of The Daily Dish — will join us.

He's penned a confession/manifesto for the magazine's November issue, called "Why I Blog," in which he makes some bold claims for blogging as a serious form of writing, one that could even lead to a "golden era for journalism." We'll also be joined by Columbia Journalism School dean and New Yorker writer Nicholas Lemann (whose New Yorker piece on blogging and citizen journalism, "Amateur Hour," caused a stir a couple years ago), and former New Yorker/Vanity Fair/Talk magazine editor Tina Brown, who has recently launched her latest venture, The Daily Beast.

We want to talk about what happens to serious journalism at a time when newspapers are declining, blogs are thriving, and the need for robust newsgathering — the kind produced by ever shrinking newsrooms — could hardly be greater. What's lost, what's preserved, what's created? Is Sullivan's optimism justified? Do news filters and amplifiers like Brown's Daily Beast (or talk shows like On Point, for that matter) make us smarter? One week before an historic election, it's worth asking.