Monday, November 08, 2004
Ten-four, Good Buddy!
Who's better qualified to question the professionalism of the blogosphere than CBS, eh?
The public is now assaulted by news and pretend-news from many directions, thanks to the now infamous "information superhighway." But the ability to transmit words, we learned during the Citizens Band radio fad of the 70’s, does not mean that any knowledge is being passed along. One of the verdicts rendered by election night 2004 is that, given their lack of expertise, standards and, yes, humility, the chances of the bloggers replacing mainstream journalism are about as good as the parasite replacing the dog it fastens on.
To his credit, Eric Engberg identifies the big story of the election night, the exit polls, and it's villains, Wonkett, Kos, Slate et al. What he misses is the real lesson. What all the blogs shilling for Kerry found out the hard way is that all of spin and manipulation that works so well on television and other mass media, fail miserably in the blogosphere.
And what none of them realize is that mass media has no memory. A story might be re-examined in letters to the editor, but then forgotten. Fish wrap. TV even more so. The media might have policed itself at one point, but those days are gone.
The blogosphere on the other hand has the ability to cache and the ability to search. The implications of this are staggering, and yet totally lost on the MSM. A baboon can gain dominance over it's peers by bluff, posturing, and caterwauling intimidation. But the baboon is no match for the calculations and schemes in the mind of a Man.
Engberg shouldn't be so quick to dismiss Sullivan, who despite his foibles is more accountable and has more integrity than any of the Kerry whisper brigade put together. I doubt if Engberg at any point in his career was held up to such a standard. And if he doesn't want to share the fate of another relic from a different Age, he better wise up. Otherwise like John McEnroe, his calls of "Breaker one-nine" will fall on dead air.
Update - Charles at LGF reports that the Guardian has acknowledged the blogosphere as the alpha male. Can the surrender of the AFP be far behind?
The public is now assaulted by news and pretend-news from many directions, thanks to the now infamous "information superhighway." But the ability to transmit words, we learned during the Citizens Band radio fad of the 70’s, does not mean that any knowledge is being passed along. One of the verdicts rendered by election night 2004 is that, given their lack of expertise, standards and, yes, humility, the chances of the bloggers replacing mainstream journalism are about as good as the parasite replacing the dog it fastens on.
To his credit, Eric Engberg identifies the big story of the election night, the exit polls, and it's villains, Wonkett, Kos, Slate et al. What he misses is the real lesson. What all the blogs shilling for Kerry found out the hard way is that all of spin and manipulation that works so well on television and other mass media, fail miserably in the blogosphere.
And what none of them realize is that mass media has no memory. A story might be re-examined in letters to the editor, but then forgotten. Fish wrap. TV even more so. The media might have policed itself at one point, but those days are gone.
The blogosphere on the other hand has the ability to cache and the ability to search. The implications of this are staggering, and yet totally lost on the MSM. A baboon can gain dominance over it's peers by bluff, posturing, and caterwauling intimidation. But the baboon is no match for the calculations and schemes in the mind of a Man.
Engberg shouldn't be so quick to dismiss Sullivan, who despite his foibles is more accountable and has more integrity than any of the Kerry whisper brigade put together. I doubt if Engberg at any point in his career was held up to such a standard. And if he doesn't want to share the fate of another relic from a different Age, he better wise up. Otherwise like John McEnroe, his calls of "Breaker one-nine" will fall on dead air.
Update - Charles at LGF reports that the Guardian has acknowledged the blogosphere as the alpha male. Can the surrender of the AFP be far behind?
papijoe 5:28 PM
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