These posts show why I nominate Dave Winer for the MacArthur Fellowship he has long deserved. Here’s the first thing it says at that last link:

The MacArthur Fellows Program awards unrestricted fellowships to talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction. There are three criteria for selection of Fellows: exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances based on a track record of significant accomplishment, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.

Checkbox News is pure VRM at work. Users managing their relationships with vendors. The demand side helping the supply side do a better job. Tools for both independence and engagement.It will change TV news. Just like blogging, RSS and podcasting have already done. Only moreso.