Old Media and New Media..Like it or not, they're partners (FREEREPUBLIC IN THE NEWS)

REASON ^ | September 15, 2004 | Jesse Walker

[exhaustedmomma]

NEWS has always been aimed for the citizenry. Without the the consumer (citizenry), NEWS would be null and void. One of the beauties of this country is freedom of speech! The citizenry has the RIGHT to truth. If the MSM doesn't want to provide that, via so called "journalists", fine. Citizens have always got the "message" out one way or another. If the "reporters" of NEWS feel a little insulted or squirmed by "reality"... good. Deal with it. They can use all the "learned it in school" jargon they want. Plain and simple truth is, there is a "niche" out here that will be heard. And there are capable voices (self-taught, or whatever) that will find a way to get the message out.

[netmilsmom]

>>Granted that it's important to give due consideration to what the left is saying in order to refute it, Free Republic fulfills that role with its "barf alert" article postings.<<

That's what they don't understand. And might I add that some of the Vanities are also from the left. Someone will get a left wing, talking point e-mail and post it here. It adds to our ability to dispute those points.

[SMARTY]

"Now, if you read nothing but right-wing sites like Free Republic ..."

We have to if we want to see anything like equal time for opposing views in this country.

[Mister Baredog]

Things are getting interestinger and interestinger....

Seems there's some stingers in there, LOL

[ImphClinton]

Obviously a Democrat.

He still doesn't believe the MSM is biased. This despite the fact that CBS used forgeries to slander Bush while ignoring real documents that prove undeniable that Kerry lied about his record in Viet Nam.

[Thrusher]

This is HUGH! And series!

[norraad]

Now that cowboy Dan has jumped on granny to try to ride away from memogate we have Grannygate!

[weegee]

I refuse to call them the "Old Media" any longer. They are obsolete, not "historically grounded".

Buggy whip media BUMP!

[Grampa Dave]

How about: Old Buggy Whip Mediots!

[weegee]

"Right Wing" sites like FR? Well WND and Drudge also link news articles but FR is the only one that has conservative voices dissecting the articles line by line.

There is nothing else like FR that I've found and there are plenty of examples of the mainstream media's own talking points published here verbatim.

The Pajama People cannot be dismissed this easily.

Keep it up Buggy Whip Media, we are getting new recruits who are onto your game (as well as trolls who seldom last more than a few minutes).

[wayoverontheright]

And bias? Many of the bloggers challenging the memos believe mainstream reporters are prejudiced in favor of the Kerry campaign. Indeed, that is one possible reason why 60 Minutes might fail to properly authenticate documents that make George W. Bush look bad. But it doesn't explain why so many other major outlets would rush to undermine the report. If they're biased, then they didn't let their bias get in the way of a good story.

ABC IS biased.

ABC went pretty hard on this story so that they wouldn't be caught in the same blinding headlights the internet shined on CBS. Just as we conjoin the alphabet media when referring to them, they are aware that their agenda is the same. Now they are aware of the fact that WE are aware their agenda is the same, therefore their credibility is indelibly linked. If CBS's credibility goes down, the rest will not remain unaffected, IMHO.

[Cboldt]

Cyberspace offers many rewards, but it's also filled with partisan robots and knuckle-dragging bullies, with would-be reporters.

To be fair, FR has lots of noise among its "truth signal." It takes a bit of skill to take advantage of the tool that Jim Robinson has put in the hands of conservative-minded folks.

[SMARTY]

I don't know how they can disapprove the bloggers. Everyone here is just responding to the 'news' and information broadcast on the MSM. Critics are only opposed because the average Joe Schmoe can now be heard every day and all day, not just on election day. The critics are displeased because the MSM is no longer in a position to exploit people who have no way to respond or who do not have any other source for information. The genie is out of the bottle.

[weegee]

Additionally Moby, the DNC, the Guardian, et al have attempted to sway FReeper opinions by tainting the FReeper pool with some troll accounts. They are quickly discovered (a few are permitted to linger longer than others).

If I had to find a mind that could have conceived of such a "political mind" as is found on the FR forum, it would have to be Phillip K. Dick.

Think of it. There is no single thought or talking point coming from FR but there is an identifiable shared reasoning on the issues (with some nagging differences/unresolved issues). It is a larger model of the human mind reasoning through a problem.

We bubble up some thoughts. Some get overlooked, others get quickly dismissed (in light of new evidence or because a ZOT is cast).

It is always important to be able to understand how you "know" what you know. We pride ourselves here on being able to cite the facts (links to other articles, visual examination of the evidence, etc.).

Even in the wake of the 9-11-2001 attacks there were reportedly efforts made by the government to get "brainstorming" from creative minds on other possible terrorist strikes (didn't they solicit some theories from Hollywood screenwriters?).

This is what goes on here on FR, brainstorming. Good conclusions get propagated. Bad conclusions get shouted down.

The parties can try to influence the FR mind but we are not beholden to the talking points of any party.

[bert]

.....Buggy whip media BUMP!....

One of the few comments I have been able to get out of Ted Como, the editor of the Kingsport Times news, was to my accusation that he was chained to the past and the Associated Press. The AP is 19th century technology. The AP wire was a telegraph and Morse code.

The AP mentality as a cooperative effort to gather national news has been usurped and corrupted by the American left.

Pooh old editors like Ted are lost in the days of yore and unable to bring present technology to bear in an effective manner.

[bert]

.....They were part of the same ecosystem...

The word is symbiotic.

[bert]

.....I suspect Freepers subscribe to more newspapers and newsmagazines....

Collectively we read them all. We also are quite a diverse group and consume an abundance of trade publications, special interest ie hobby publications and a host of others.

Like the stock market digesting all the news of the day, Free Republic does likewise. Not much gets past the FR filters. If it has any calories, it gets eaten and absorbed.

[weegee]

As the Boston Globe has shown us, a "photo" is no longer proof. Their "rape" images were taken from a porno site.

Even the LA Times' has shown us that their journalists can make a composite from several digital images.

The buggy whip media needs some better editors who understand what can be accomplished (good and bad) with digital technology. I would also require all editors to read every one of Jan Brunvand's urban legend books.

I haven't looked at the USENET urban legends newsgroup in over a decade. Even 20 years ago, Jan Brunvand was more likely to lurk there than post.

[Honorary Serb]

"You couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of check and balances [at 60 Minutes] and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing."

I NEVER post on FR in my pajamas!!!!

FR has been making the news a lot lately--I keep following it on Google News. All too many commentators have been emphasizing the "homophobia" on FR, from Jerome Corsi and from Freepers in general. (They say that Corsi posts "homophobic" comments on the "homophobic" website FreeRepublic.) It figures!!!!

[SWake]

The professional media drew on the bloggers for ideas; the bloggers in turn linked to the professionals' reports.

I haven't really watched or read much of the MSM's coverage, but it seems to me the bloggers led and the MSMs followed along, publishing the info unearthed by the bloggers. What exactly did the MSM add to the story?