The Detroit News‘ auto critic (it is the Motor City, after all) stepped down after editors at the paper evidently agreed to revise his unfavorable review of the Chrysler 200 in a post titled “2011 Chrysler 200 falls short of the competition.”

Newspapers are dying, magazines are dying: this is the story of 2009 where the media is concerned. However, the future of media, such as it is, does not look quite so dim. Or dim at all, really. Obviously, the brave new media world that we are slowly moving into (some at a quicker pace than others!) will look entirely different in twelve months’ time, likely in large part due to the efforts of the folks we listed on our online editors of the year poll. So who gets the final nod? Our picks below: feel free to add yours in the comments section.

If 2009 was a tough year for magazines and newspapers — and boy, was it ever — it was a bang-up year for the editors of the blogs listed here. Now we are asking you, our loyal, smart, and attractive readers to share your thoughts on who had the biggest year in the Online Editor category:

Micheline Maynard — “Micki” to her friends and Twitter followers — is the Detroit-based senior business correspondent for the New York Times covering autos and aviation, and the author of the just-released The Selling of the American Economy: How Foreign Companies are Remaking the American Dream. If you’re wondering if it’s a good book, consider [...]

We may not be the biggest car experts on the road, but everyone can appreciate a good old-fashioned duel. So when we heard that Jalopnik Road Test Editor Wes Siler accepted a challenge from General Motors bigwig Bob Lutz to race against the brand new Cadillac CTS-V, our interest was piqued. In the words of GM’s new ad slogan: “May The Best Car Win.”

I am not a car person — have never been, never will be. I still don’t really even understand the “Cash For Clunkers” story. However! Turns out that, without knowing how to change the oil or why V-8 doesn’t just pertain to vegetable juice, I knew a whole lot about cars (even people who ain’t too clever/can learn to tighten a nut forever!).