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The leader of the Securities and Exchange Commission continues to show thoughtful leadership in the areas of online communications, social media and Regulation FD.

Speaking at a regulation summit in Washington, D.C., Christopher Cox said he reviews blogs to measure public opinion on various securities issues. According to this Reuters story, Cox feels blogs “infer passion and depth of feeling” but lack credibility in other areas such as fact-checking.

Cox said the SEC will take a closer look at whether online communications can (or should) be considered public disclosure. This aligns with Cox’s recent online exchange with Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz.

It’s refreshing that someone of Cox’s stature recognizes blogs as an emerging communication channel – particularly in his regulatory-driven environment. Let’s hope his comments lead to some meaningful reform for Regulation FD and the online world.