What a diff 6 years makes. You must admit the story wouldn't have gotten this far 6 years ago.
But your point is well-taken. Anyone who thinks the power struggle between the MSM and the Net-blogosphere is over is sadly mistaken, both for this story and the ones that will inevitably arrive in the future.
Another thing MSM doesn't get yet is that the blogo/freeposphere doesn't respect their established news cycle. They think they can safely leave on a Friday night for a quiet weekend. They aren't able to defend themselves as the story explodes ALL NIGHT LONG. When they arrive back at the office on Monday, the world will be a different place. Even if they try to regroup tomorrow, they will already be HOURS behind the curve.