BOB GARFIELD: Rony Abovitz also attended the World Economic Forum, invited as a technological pioneer. He worked for a Florida biomedical company. But when he arrived in Switzerland, he was asked to write his impressions as a first time attendee in the Forum's web log. In his first ever blog entry, Abovitz described his shock at Eason Jordan's charge against the US military. "If true," he wrote, (quote) "it would make Abu Ghraib look like a walk in the park." Eleven days later, Jordan had resigned, and Abovitz was credited with igniting the storm that ended his long career at CNN. Rony Abovitz joins us from Florida. Welcome to On the Media.

RONY ABOVITZ: How are you doing, sir? Thank you.

BOB GARFIELD: At what point did you realize that what you'd written as part of the World Economic Forum web log had taken on a life of its own?

RONY ABOVITZ: It really struck me when I returned from Europe, from the meeting, and when I landed, there was just a whole slew of messages from my office, from our corporate counsel and CNN and Jordan had been calling. The guys in my company were just totally freaked out. I was actually pretty freaked out too that CNN and these people had been calling my office.

BOB GARFIELD: You've said that Jordan's inability to defend himself, (quote) "chummed the waters for the bloggers." Was there anything else that surprised you about how this story developed?

RONY ABOVITZ: I think the absolute lightening speed and exponential growth of, of bloggers getting involved was just amazing. But I was really struck by CNN on a few levels. The way their people were trying to do spin with the bloggers - that really, I think, incited many bloggers. And then the fact that there was a videotape, and then, you know, everybody that Jordan could basically call up the Forum and say release the tape, and the tape not being released, that was also strange, because, you know, here is a news organization. Why wouldn't they want a tape released? And I think that just threw, like, gasoline on the fire of the bloggers that, you know, there was a coverup; something that's being hidden. It was really handled not in the right way.

BOB GARFIELD: You used the metaphor "chummed the waters." You sure can't blame a shark for eating. [LAUGHTER] And this was surely a feeding frenzy.

RONY ABOVITZ: In the blog world, I think there was a group of people - I hope I'm seen as one of those - who was trying to have this open and free democratized debate, which is kind of the idealistic view of what was going on. With others, it was more like blood was in the air, and it was like let's go in for the kill. You could feel that.

BOB GARFIELD: Based on your experience, do you believe that democracy and justice is being served? Do you think that there is some sort of tyranny of the mob? Or do you fall somewhere in between?

RONY ABOVITZ: What happens when you wire all of humanity together, and you give them a lot of empowerment? Is it democracy, or is it a giant mob? This should not limit free speech. I think you just have to understand that your speech will be everywhere. I mean, it's kind of a new world where, as you talk, especially when you talk publicly, with things like blogging, it will get every word. You should feel comfortable about your words.

BOB GARFIELD: Rony, thanks so much for joining us.

RONY ABOVITZ: Oh, you're welcome.

BOB GARFIELD: Rony Abovitz is the chief technological officer for Z-Cat Incorporated and a blogger at fixtheworld.blogs.com.