The Associated Press (AP) and blog search engine Technorati have initiated a service to connect bloggers to nearly 500 US newspaper websites.

The service is intended to present blog comment alongside AP national, international, business and sports news to 440 local paper websites throughout the US - such as the Buffalo News and the Sun Journal.

When readers visit websites carrying AP News, they can click a box containing the five most blogged about AP articles from the previous 48 hours.

A box also appears alongside each AP article with links to related blogs.

If readers comment about a particular story they can get mentioned next to that article by linking its news URL in their blog - a function that already exists on larger news sites such as Washington Post and Newsweek.

Peter Hirshberg, of Technorati, said: "We're delighted to be working with the AP and thrilled that blogger voices will now be heard in several hundred local online news organizations across the USA.

"I believe that this is a deep validation of the power of citizen media and how each person is gaining more power - power to have their opinions and thoughts heard, in a truly democratic process.

"Increasingly, what the blogosphere says about a news story becomes part of a more complete story, lending diverse perspectives and often expert commentary."