"Tis but a scratch."
Posted on 09/19/2004 5:42:05 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
NEW YORK — Early morning Sept. 11, a poster on the conservative Free Republic website exulted, "[A]ll of us can say we were there when a few people from Free Republic kicked CBS and Kerry ass."
The John Kerry part may or may not come to pass, but there is little doubt that a few people using their computers certainly gave CBS News and anchor Dan Rather a beating. Right-wing blogs — "blog" is short for web log — and forums such as Power Line, Little Green Footballs and Free Republic were the first to question the authenticity of four memos released by CBS News, purportedly written by Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, who supervised George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard unit in the early 1970s. The memos were part of a "60 Minutes" story reported by Rather, questioning President Bush's fulfillment of his Guard service. The buzz created by the blogs became deafening and the story moved like lightning onto the Drudge Report, and from there to talk radio, cable news and newspapers' front pages — and it's not over yet.
Bloggers cheered that the new-media David had slain the old-media Goliath.
Michelle Malkin wrote a column, titled "The Death Cry of Snob Journalism," that she described (on her own blog, natch) as an "Old Media eulogy." Rather may become the second kill for bloggers; two years ago, bloggers' steadfast attention on Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott's comments expressing nostalgia for segregation led to old-media coverage and, ultimately, Lott's resignation from his leadership post.
Now right-wing bloggers have tasted blood — and they like it.
But Malkin and other bloggers are getting ahead of themselves by asserting that the CBS disputed memos represent the death knell for traditional journalism.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
The disease this guy is suffering from is known in the law enforcement community as H U A.
The symptoms are that imprtant things get by you--things like you are on the cell phone, and you are drivining in the opposing lane.
The only cure for H U A is to become aware of your environment. Fighter pilots call it situational awareness.
Until you begin healing, events will pass you by, and other people will know you have the affliction by the brown ring around your neck.
LOL
The writer of this article makes our point for us and doesn't even know it. The "blogs" are not going to take over the gathering of "news", they are only going to become the new editor and fact checkers for those that do.
In a funny sort of way, the Internet may actually save main stream media, or at least those that can adapt. And by adapt, I don't mean posting stuff to the internet, I mean change their bias to a more fair and balance approach to what they write.
What those that consider themselves journalist must come to terms with is that the days when you could tell an out and out falsehood, and have no consequences, are over. If you are going to lie, you better be very good at it, if not, it is going to be exposed, and not just to a few thousands readers, but to millions around the world.
A reporter has only one product to sell, their word that what he writes is a honest and true representation of what they witnessed. Over the years, most reporters have been willing to give away their integrity in the name of some higher good they may believe in, feeling that it is ok to "lie" if it makes the world a better place (as they have determined it should be).
Not only has there not been any downside to this view, but those that get good at it were rewarded. This is what is coming to an end. The revolution started a few years ago, but for many, Dan Rather brought it out to the open, and when the main stream media are forced to acknowledge our existence, we are well on the way to winning.
Dan Rather's problem is that after years of selling his soul to the cause of socialism, his "word" could no longer be trusted, and now when he wants everyone to believe that what he says is true even if he does not have the evidence, we have to base that trust on his character, yet we know he is willing to lie to advance his cause, and there is no reservoir of trust for him to call on.
I do not expect to see the end of this jorney we have begun here on FreeRepublic, I am in my mid 50s. Like the hippies and radicals, it took 20 or 30 years for them to move up into positions of power in the colleges and universities, and news media. The children of today, who are as familiar with computers, and are at home on the internet, will be the ones that finish this battle for us, I am just happy to see that the battled had begun, because I have no doubt as to the final outcome.
Living large but in the past LA Times. Maybe you should head up the coast and ask Bill Gates whether the internet has a future?
These liberal sham newspapers need to become very fearful of anything they put up on websites. Anything like the rather memeos will be torn to shred before the print version ink is dry.
L8R
Indeed!
"Tis but a scratch."
That's right. In fact, there's really nothing to worry about.
It will, however, be online.
WE ARE WATCHING YOU LATIMES, SO BEHAVE YOUSELF DON'T BE BIAS AND BE TRUTHFULL, OR ELSE WE WILL GO AFTER YOU TOO.
It's not a revolution until they say it's a revolution.
Here's an example of how it worked before. A reporter presents a story, in print or over the air. Someone knowledgeable spots a glaring error and either calls the reporter or writes a letter. The reporter, or the editor, discards or ignores the new information. Why? Because they CAN! They weren't worried nor did they care because no one would be coming along later to write a corrected print version or broadcast a corrected film version. In essence, the mistake was buried, either by the reporter, or the editor. And now? A glaring error or mistake can be put on the internet and be viewed by a few people or tens of millions of people. Additionally, it can be forwarded to a radio talk show host, and if he finds it compelling enough, he will inform millions of people of the error.
The message that bloggers are sending to the MSM is to quit being lazy arrogant asses, and to practice due diligence to get the story correct the first time and to present the information without bias. Any failure to be honest, unbiased, or diligent may be held up to a national magnifying glass. And THAT, is the way things stand at present. The future though, could well see the demise of major MSM players, and that could include the L.A. Times
Just keep telling yourselves that, MSM.
Where do you think all those people who no longer read or watch you have gone?
Too funny.
Condescending crapola from the LAT. Phhtttooooy!
They pump bilge alright...
For me the death of MSM came during the Gulf War I. After listening to so many reporters ask stupid questions, I realized that reporters were dumb.
The dinosaurs in the old media refuse to realize that from now on their audience has a voice that is more powerful than theirs. They can no longer shape the news to fit an agenda. The Internet is too big, too fast, and too intelligent to allow them to steer public opinion the way they used to.
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