Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

A moment, not a revolution (Free Republic in first sentence!)
The Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | September 22, 2004 | Ben Wasserstein

Posted on 09/22/2004 5:56:48 AM PDT by 2banana

Edited on 09/22/2004 6:52:18 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

Early morning last Sept. 11, a poster on the conservative Free Republic Web site 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 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. On Monday, CBS said it could not prove that the memos were authentic and that it should not have used them. Bloggers cheered that the new-media David had slain the old-media Goliath.


(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: blog; media; rather
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-66 next last
To: 2banana
It is the death of the old time media, especially old time liberal print newspapers like the Philadelphia Inquirer...

It's the death of sloppy propaganda. It's the death of journalistic "mistakes" that always target conservatives. It's the death of the reign of brain-dead celebrity journalist. It's the death of easy liberal elitist positions pushed as objective journalism. But, it's not the death of the old time media.

41 posted on 09/22/2004 6:48:20 AM PDT by GOPJ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: P-Marlowe
Once a story breaks all a reporter has to do is come here to get informed enough to compile the follow-up report. It seems they've been doing that over at DU for years.

So that's where reporters find all of their false witnesses!

42 posted on 09/22/2004 6:53:10 AM PDT by Teflonic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Tooters
"Yes, "Pajamahadeen" has my vote, too."


I think "Pajamahadeen" makes us sound like a bunch of Muslims.
43 posted on 09/22/2004 6:53:21 AM PDT by dalereed
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
CBS UGLY STICK
44 posted on 09/22/2004 6:54:13 AM PDT by Lancer_N3502A
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
In Philadelphia, nearly everybody does not read the Inquirer.
45 posted on 09/22/2004 6:54:37 AM PDT by Tribune7
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Temple Owl

ping


46 posted on 09/22/2004 6:54:55 AM PDT by Tribune7
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dalereed

the -azzi name makes us sound frivolous like the paparazzi.

Pajama People is good too.


47 posted on 09/22/2004 6:56:10 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! NOV 2, 2004 is VETERANS DAY! VOTE!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: meema

3 cheers for FR and Pajamaazzi{s}!


48 posted on 09/22/2004 6:57:45 AM PDT by meema
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bmwcyle

Peter Jennings in a beanie hat! LOL!


49 posted on 09/22/2004 6:58:44 AM PDT by Lijahsbubbe ( MSM, We are watching you......)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
Think of last month's spurious attacks on Kerry's military service in Vietnam.

Dinosaur Media (DM) lurkers consider this:

If 250 former Texas Air National Guard comrades of Dubya signed affidavits saying he was a craven liar and complete incompetent would you have ignored the story? No fn' way.

Notice how I spelled out Texas Air National Guard. I'm really expecting DMers to read this.

50 posted on 09/22/2004 7:01:21 AM PDT by Tribune7
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Owl_Eagle; brityank; Physicist; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; GOPJ; abner; baseballmom; Willie Green; Mo1; ..

Pa dinosaur-in-the-tarpit ping


51 posted on 09/22/2004 7:02:56 AM PDT by Tribune7
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
Ben Wasserstein wrote this piece for the Los Angeles Times.

That explains the snotty, condescending tone.

No one but the most niave thinks that 'new media' is going to replace traditional media. We are not out on the streets with note pads and camera crews chasing down sources and stories. But we are in a position to do exactly what we did in the CBS incident ... call them on it when they intentionally lie or slant or, as Dan Rather would have us believe, make an 'honest mistake.

52 posted on 09/22/2004 7:03:59 AM PDT by spodefly (A bunny-slippered operative in the Vast Right-Wing Pajama Party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

"[A]ll of us can say we were there when a few people from Free Republic kicked CBS and Kerry ass."

Sounds like a new motto for FR.


53 posted on 09/22/2004 7:05:04 AM PDT by The South Texan (The Democrat Party and the leftist (ABCCBSNBCCNN NYLATIMES)media are a criminal enterprise!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Tom Bombadil
Think of last month's spurious attacks on Kerry's military service in Vietnam. Though decried by lefty bloggers, the charges were not adequately debunked until newspapers such as the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune reaped the reward from Freedom of Information Act searches of decades-old military records and published eyewitness testimonials. Old-fashioned reporting won that round.

Thats a load of B.S., These charges have NOT been "adequatly debunked" by anyone. In fact, they have only ben covered up. They are still there, and the only way the can be "debunked" is for Kerry to sign the 180 and release his records, which he won't, because they are true allegations.

54 posted on 09/22/2004 7:10:37 AM PDT by Nathan Zachary
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: Nathan Zachary

This is DNC talking points. Juan Williams has been saying the same DNC talking point.

If anything the vets points have now been OVER proven.


55 posted on 09/22/2004 7:15:54 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! NOV 2, 2004 is VETERANS DAY! VOTE!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

I note it took them 11 days to come up with this striking prose. Things move a little faster out here in the blogsphere, guess they still haven't figured that out.


56 posted on 09/22/2004 7:19:52 AM PDT by pepperdog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

'Tis but a flesh wound! Come back and I will smote you!


57 posted on 09/22/2004 7:23:01 AM PDT by HenryLeeII (sultan88, R.I.P.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
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 majority leader's post.

Oh please, the MSM was on that one two seconds after he said it.

But writers are getting ahead of themselves by asserting that the CBS memos represent the death knell for traditional journalism.

Maybe not the death of the old media but CERTAINLY the death of their unquestionable control.

First, it's worth remembering how many other news stories - basically, er, all of them - have not been broken by the blogosphere. Think of last month's spurious attacks on Kerry's military service in Vietnam. Though decried by lefty bloggers, the charges were not adequately debunked until newspapers such as the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune reaped the reward from Freedom of Information Act searches of decades-old military records and published eyewitness testimonials. Old-fashioned reporting won that round.

Huh? They keep saying this, but never say why it's true.

58 posted on 09/22/2004 7:24:21 AM PDT by agrace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
Sure bloggers don't have the money and resources to travel the world gathering news stories. What has ended for elite media is their brand of corruption of the stories they gather, and much of the spin they attach to stories they gather.

The decision the citizen makes about who they want for President is far to important a power to be played with by corrupt journalists with an agenda, vote fraud, and the lax requirements of some states about who is allowed in the voters booth. The power of the citizens of this nation to elect is not to be toyed with by anyone, no matter what their ego's tell them.

I think we should demand standardization of federal elections to be followed by every state. If a state wants to use sloppy voting procedures for state and local elections that's their citizens problem. But when it comes to something as important as federal elections, states should not be allowed to hold the polls open later than allowed, and the citizenship of the voter should be clearly established along with a data base to show how many times in one election one person has voted.

One man, one vote has been misused in the rush for the Democrat party to prop up it's failing power. Their corruption of the voter process must be rooted out and destroyed. There is no telling who is sitting in the Senate, Congress, and state legislative bodies who attained their seat via fraud.
59 posted on 09/22/2004 7:25:55 AM PDT by MissAmericanPie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

We are not bloggers .. WE ARE FREEPERS!


60 posted on 09/22/2004 7:31:37 AM PDT by Mo1 (Why is the MSM calling the Vietnam Vets and POW's a suspected group??)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-66 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson