Posted on 09/17/2004 4:27:35 AM PDT by TaxRelief
The conservative web group, FReerepublic.com, in its quest for "truth in media", may have accidentally stumbled across the means for unseating the leftists' obsession with "tolerance".
For over a year now, Freerepublic.com bloggers (Freepers) have been publically challenging the "factual information" disseminated in news stories published by the main stream media (MSM). The website's members have picked apart undocumented statistics; they've delved into the partisan semantics of questions on political polls; they've "FReeped" online polls to prove the uselessness of easily manipulated data; they've exposed sub-groups of radical activist organizations like "PETA", which pose as research "think tanks" and "responsible physicians"; they've bombarded news stations with phone calls and emails when the reporting is blatantly one-sided or even false; and finally, as this summer draws to a close, they have begun to publically object to lazy and biased newscasting.
As the analytical members of the conservative website FReerepublic.com have relentlessly challenged the credibility of the MSM, they have also simultaneously proven a theory that our forefathers discussed as they authored the first ten Amendments to the US Constitution; the Freedom of the Press has to be absolute, not just because truth is critical for sustaining a democracy in an otherwise Socialist world, but because truth itself cannot be ordered or legislated; it is the process of discourse, debate and disagreement that leads to true enlightenment.
However, as history has shown numerous times in the past, when "enlightenment" rears it's shining head, "darkness" goes on the defensive. Clearly, the crowd that seeks the truth is in direct conflict with those that "believe" truth is subjective and personal.
In the early seventies, a movement that focused on "prejudice" and "intolerance"--catch words intended to stop random and cruel discrimination against people with different colored skins--ballooned into a social behavior fad that temporarily pushed aside conservative etiquette. As a result, an entire generation of young people has now been raised believing that the concept of "maintaining a good reputation" is a selfish ploy perpetuated by adults who seek to control the scope of their teenagers' sexual activity, that everyone has the right to choose his own moral framework, and that questioning another's reputation is the equivalent of discrimination based on ethnicity.
In the process of subverting social norms, the simple concepts of credibility, honesty and reputation were thrown out with the bath water. A few folks saw what was happening along the way; many had to go through their own life experiences to become aware of the problem, and some have only just figured it out. Regardless of what brought them to this point, conservatives are coming out of the closet in droves, and it seems they are not willing to just "sit back and take it" anymore.
This past week "FReepers" crossed a critical threshold in their war on liberalism. By exposing, Dan Rather, a long-time icon of the MSM, as a man who is, at best lazy and partisan, or at worst dishonest and partisan, they actually were successful in preventing a paparazzi attack on the White House.
The rumbling volcano finally erupted when Dan Rather of CBS news--apparently oblivious to the "New Media"--happily presented some weak, insupportable "evidence" that a sitting president had attempted to shirk his duty as an American by either (a) serving in the National Guard rather than the regular army, or (b) missing 3 months of his 6 years service in the National Guard.
Rather's "evidence" consisted of "testimony" from partisan hacks and misquoted experts, and copies of memos "signed by" a man who died years ago (thereby unseating the commonly accepted theory that "dead men can't tell tales").
A FReeper, "Buckhead", immediately challenged the authenticity of the memos. Within hours, CBS's self-satisfied smiles were wiped off their faces, by the analytical branch of the "New Media".
This may well have been an historical moment; the MSM had probably never been diverted from its modus operandi of accuse-and-attack so successfully in the past. The MSM understandably was stunned to discover that the "seekers of truth" had reached a critical-enough mass to subvert "Plan A", the accuse-and-attack mission plan that had withstood the test of time; and to squash "Plan B": blame "intolerance" for anything that goes wrong. For forty years, the MSM had misused the concept of "tolerance" to cover-up its inadequacy, its laziness and the many, many errors made in haste, all because of a desire to get credit for "breaking the story".
Unfortunately for the MSM--but fortunately for America--FReepers and other rightwing bloggers are calling for a New Era of Credibility. Rightwingers are relying on the age-old premise that each individual is only as good as his honor and his ability to seekout and relay the truth (rather than the leftist theory that each man is only as good as his college degree--whether earned or gifted). The conservative bloggers harken back to the biblically-sound theory that a reputation once damaged is rarely ever recovered.
There may be no greater service that FReerepublic.com can do for the American people than to continue their mission to expose the MSM's poor journalistic practices (like quoting and enshrining of "unnamed sources"; the use of un-authenticated documents; the poor selection of interviewees; personal relationships between editors and partisan hacks; the backroom cover-up games and the rampant plagiarism of blogs and other reporter's articles). Perhaps they will even bring about the demise of the monopolistic mainstream media altogether.
Liberals may have attempted to destroy the value of a good reputation by telling kids not to "judge" others and to be "tolerant", but those same leftists did not eradicate the quest for truth well enough to prevent a powerful force from re-emerging and continuing on with the mission to conquer social misbehavior.
Thank you.
Good morning.
(Robt raises cup of coffee in toast.)
Actually, the coffee is still in the cup, not in the toast, but I assume you get the idea. 8<)
I agree that the next evolution of FR should include more original thoughts and writings from the many talented FReepers who are more than capable of developing their own news from information reported by the many sources now available. Long live the New Media!!!
Excellent article. Very good analysis of the way things stand today.
ping ; )
BTTT
Hear, hear ... kudos to a fine analysis. We must never forget, however, that winning an egagement, or even a campaign, is not winning the war. The only way to carry the issue is to maintain the momentum of victory, press the attack, take the fight to the enemy, direct the battle, and force the opponent's moves. It is not time to gloat, it is time to push back all the harder.
Try seven years. In fact, the MSM attemped to have us shut down by a phony baloney lawsuit.
Just damn.
If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...
"Try seven years. In fact, the MSM attemped to have us shut down by a phony baloney lawsuit."
How? when?
However, the ability to publically share the quality and accuracy of FR's detective work has reached a new level of maturity in the past year or so.
We are the New Media.
And the MSM can not stand it
Thank you algore for inventing the internet!
Good oped.
Free Republic has been doing "its thing" for about 7 years.
One of the first big events for me was helping to keep the Ghorroid from illegally becoming president.
Then, we had a victory at Klamath Lake and helped to stop the Enviral Nazis from destroying thousands of farm and ranch families for a stinking bottom sucking fish. That was the first time the Enviral Nazis suffered a defeat in their rural cleansing of American farmers, ranchers, and other innocent Americans.
Since then, we have had a lot of victories while exposing the MSM as a vile pr tool of the left wing lunatics.
We helped to support the Swift Vets re support and donations. The Swift Vets have taken at least one wheel off of Kerry's SUV, which he doesn't own, and his poll #s have been in a decrease since their first ad. Without that wheel, he has been spinning out of control in his race to become the French dictator of America.
Then, we caught the AP maggot Tom Hays lying about the boos and drove a spike in that AP outright falsehood.
Now, we have made America and the world aware that one of the MSM's icon and his NOTNEWS network, C BS are liars, forgers and probably criminals. We have known it all along, now America is aware of what we know. We drove a spike into the heart of this vile attack on GW.
Along the way, we defused the Plame/Wilson scam, which was a similiar scam like the C BS forgeries.
Next, we will help to get Kerry's service records out in the open like GW's. Then we will stop the new lies that AP is starting about no real WMDS were in Iraq. The MSM will be doing the same thing with the upcoming UN report that they did with the 9/11 report before it came out. We have the UN's own report to show that AP is and will be lying on this issue with the other liars of the MSM.
Hopefully, all new Freepers and established Freepers will support Free Republic with regular donations or will become regular monthly donors. Free Republic get no grants or tax money like the left wing organizations. We share the costs of Free Republic to keep it going each day.
If I may be so bold as to make one change.
We're made as ZELL and we're not going to take it anymore.
What a great look back with an "eye" toward the future!!!
What we are today and tomorrow are a combination of what we did in the past, are doing today and will do tomorrow.
Great essay! I love the way Dr. Laura put it when some young girl complained about her being "too judgemental." She said something to the effect that we're not living in the Garden of Eden anymore! We now must know the difference between right and wrong and act accordingly!!!
The link below will take you to the newest Swift Vet Commercial. Kerry's credibility re his medal tossing is shredded by his own words.
http://swift3.he.net/~swift3/dazed.wmv
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