The pajamahadeens are digging their own graves (FR Featured)

Toronto Star ^ | Nov. 25, 2004. 01:00 AM | ANTONIA ZERBISIAS

[HighWheeler]

Hoo-boy. It's a hot time in the old blogtown.

The pajamahadeen are firing their virtual bullets into the cyber-air in celebration of CBS anchor Dan Rather's announcement on Tuesday that he was retiring as the top talking face of the network after 24 years.

"This has been a simply outstanding month," crowed a poster on http://www.freerepublic.com. "Bush won, Arafat died, we're kicking ass in Fallujah, and now this!"

Typically, the above-quoted "Freeper" didn't get that Rather may be down, but he certainly isn't out. When he steps down as front man for The CBS Evening News on March 9, he will stay on as correspondent for the still much-watched 60 Minutes, as well as perform other assignments.

So it was a bit premature to be celebrating the defeat of the veteran journalist who has inspired anti-liberal websites such as http://www.RatherBiased.com and http://www.BoycottCBS.com, not to mention Doonesbury's ridiculous foreign correspondent Roland Hedley Jr., an R.E.M. hit and "Rather-gate."

As comic Jon Stewart recently pointed out, last September's 60 Minutes II fiasco, which had Rather questioning President George W. Bush's National Guard service with documents that could not be authenticated, was the only scandal of the election campaign to have merited a "-gate."

Which brings us to those pajamahadeen, the online brigades who claim credit for bringing those documents into question — and forcing Rather to apologize for his reporting.

The right-wing bloggers proudly dubbed themselves that — a play on muhajadeen, as in Muslim guerrilla fighters — when former CBS exec Jonathan Klein, in the wake of the scandal, complained to Fox News that "bloggers have no checks and balances.

"You couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of checks and balances (on network news) and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing."

By checks and balances, Klein meant the rigours of professional journalism — and not the opinionating of the blogosphere.

Ironically, bloggers mostly feed off the work of professional journalists who do the legwork. But, like parasites too stupid to realize they are killing off their hosts, the pajamahadeen don't get it every time they dig more dirt for our mass grave.

"Network news is dying and good riddence (sic)!" jubilated one of them yesterday.

It's true that journalism's checks and balances have been known to fail. When they do, news organizations crash and burn in spectacular fashion. But, much like the thousands of airplanes that land safely every day and don't make the news, major disasters are few and far between.

Still, the credibility of the corporate media continues to plummet.

In March, the Washington-based Project for Excellence in Journalism published The State of the News Media 2004, which documents an increase in superficiality and sensationalism, the declining reach of newspapers and network newscasts, cutbacks in newsroom resources and, most significantly, rising public distrust and disdain for our reportage.

Then, in June, the Canadian Media Research Consortium, a national project led by three University-based organizations to promote research on the media, (http://www.cmrcccrm.ca) came out with its Report Card On Canadian News Media. While it showed that Canadians are significantly more positive about our news sources than Americans are, citizens here believe that "powerful people or organizations" have too much influence on the media agenda.

One thing is clear from both studies: The shift from mainstream media to alternate sources such as the ethnic press, cable networks and the Internet, are threatening the future of the solid, stolid mainstream journalism.

And we don't know how to deal with it. Recently, for example, the news came from the U.K. that staid old papers are going tabloid, while the Washington Post will lighten up — all to attract elusive younger readers.

As for the newscasts of the type that Rather hosts, well, one look at the commercials for arthritis pills will tell you plenty about their demographics.

Paradoxically, young people are crowding into journalism schools, many of them in search of network TV stardom.

Still, the pajamahadeen are waging war on the mainstream media.

That includes the paper you're reading, even if you're not reading it on paper, since it is the actually selling of this paper which pays for the content you may now be reading gratis.

By the end of today, who knows how many bloggers will have had at this column? Many of them often shoot me down — and some do a pretty good job. (See letitbleed.blogs.com)

But, just like trigger happy celebrants in the Middle East, who have yet to figure out that what goes up must come down, they can't see that, by firing up at us, they will also kill themselves.

[mad_as_he$$]

Cr$P spit me coffe out at that pics. Yikes, another sex reasignment lesbo telling me I am a dying breed? PPPLLLLEEEAAAAAASSSSEEEE.....

[TomGuy]

I lifted borrowed those from pookie18's daily 'toons' thread.

Today's Toons 11/25/04

[jriemer]

Antonio Zerbisias is a complete moron.

In case people are looking for proof look no further than a column he wrote last year:
[quote]
Source:Talking Turkey About a 'Free' Press
By Antonio Zerbisias
Toronto Star
Sunday, November 30, 2003

Let me say this straight up: I am not so cynical that I don't believe U.S. President George W. Bush wasn't sincerely farklempt when he talked turkey with the boys in Baghdad on Thanksgiving. Still, his talk of freedom struck me as gobbledygook.

By helping the Iraqi people become free, you're helping change a troubled and violent part of the world," Bush said, to the cheers of the troops who are "helping to build a peaceful and democratic country in the heart of the Middle East..."

Gobbledygook because Bush and his administration callously disregard one of the most basic freedoms of all, and that's freedom of the press.[/quote]

[Lancey Howard]

Well, it is certainly no surprise that the Canadian Government gave the "ok" for publication of this friendly column by Antonia Zerbisias, but it was like pulling teeth to get them to allow Fox News across the border.

[PGalt]

Bump for the most informed citizens on the planet.

[Republican Wildcat]

The author doesn't get it, which is fine by me. Let them wallow in their stupidity and never get it and we will continue to run circles around them forever.

[Judith Anne]

Thank you for your kind remarks. A Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones, as well. We're celebrating on Sunday with the whole family, due to Hub has to work today.

[ExtremeUnction]

Paradoxically, young people are crowding into journalism schools, many of them in search of network TV stardom.

I have a pretty young niece who studied "Broadcast Journalism" at Berkeley. She and 95% of those in this field of study drop out when they find there will be no jobs - ever, for them in this area, Just a field of dreams that so many young, but naive kids pursue.

[FreedomPoster]

We haven't taken Rather out, yet. Losing the anchor chair is it; he'll still be free to do hit pieces from 60 Minutes.

Our work is not yet done, on this one.

[Texas Jack]

A few years back Dr. Walter Williams wrote an editorial concerning SAT scores. In his article, he stated that students entering the education field (school teachers) collectively had the lowest SAT scores as compared to students entering other fields of college study.

The next lowest SAT scores, as a group, belonged to journalism majors.

So, we have the dumbest college graduates teaching our kids and the next dumbest group of people telling us what is happening in our society.

Surely the following statement written by singer and songwriter Ray Stevens applies:

The more we know, the more we think the "less" we know, because we know that we don't know. But, the less we know, the more we think the "more" we know, because we don't know that we don't know.

I believe journalist fall into the second category.

[VRWCTexan]

In this same ANTONIA ZERBISIAS interview she admits that as part of her daily routine for writing a column she typically visits 20+ websites and blogs - !?

In effect, they become her main sources for writing - so one must ask her who is doing the heavy lifting here? - Certainly NOT her.

[Spok]

This article uses the phrase 'checks and balances' twice; once referring to bloggers and once to journalists. This term originated in regard to concerns of one branch of government running amok without a counter balancing control. It is the citizens who are supposed to be free. The criminal and civil court system regulates private conduct. Checks and balances on speech are known as 'prior restraints'. This means silencing citizens for what they might say, which is a prime objective of political correctness. Cloaking totalitarian thinking in borrowed and misused terms makes it no less totalitarian. It's our freedom that this author is really complaining about.

[Judith Anne]

Very well said. Take THAT, Antonia. ;-D

[Maigrey]

As a trained journalist, he's got a massive case of optical rectosis.

The blogsphere is the reason why media circulation is down anywhere from 5 -20% nationwide, and why FNC (at least up until the last month or so) were kicking the rest of the media claptrap (backside).

The red states are tired of being spoonfed (bovine feces) and telling us it's good for us. The Internet and blogsphere is where the real news is now, and where the filters are obvious, and also upfront. The consumer can decide if they want a particular filter on their news.

[AmericanMade1776]

ANTONIA ZERBISIAS, ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY?

[DustyMoment]

By checks and balances, Klein meant the rigours of professional journalism — and not the opinionating of the blogosphere.

Has this idiot READ the NYT, lately? Or the WaPo; LATimes; Seattle Post-Intelligencer; SF Chronicle, etc.? Has he heard of Jayson Blair and other "professional" journalists all fighting to snatch Blair's reputation from him?

And, yet, unable to contain his self-aggrandizing, the fool rambles on:
Ironically, bloggers mostly feed off the work of professional journalists who do the legwork. But, like parasites too stupid to realize they are killing off their hosts, the pajamahadeen don't get it every time they dig more dirt for our mass grave.

Perhaps I overslept this morning. To what "professional journalists" is he referring? Perhaps he means Dan Blather and Mary Mapes and the superior "legwork" they did in vetting the whole Memogate story? Or, maybe, he means the "legwork" performed by pretenders such as Jayson Blair and other such pretenders?

As a "professional journalist", he should know that the credibility of a writer isn't measured by the bulk of those who manage to get the story right day in and day out. Their credibility is measured by the Dan Rathers and Jayson Blairs who, so often, get it so wrong; or just make it up out of whole cloth. When Dan Rather announced that he believed that Bill Clinton was "an honest man", he officially renounced his alledgedly neutral journalistic credentials.

Something that this idiot has also done with this pointless hit piece on bloggers and the blogosphere.

[Judith Anne]

I am certain that the author is lurking here, and this is what I'd like to publicly say:

There IS freedom of the press, and WE are the check and balance of that press. Do you think none of us are professionals? Do you think none of us have critical thinking skills? Do you think we know nothing about the mainstream press? If so, you are wrong.

There is a HUGE market waiting for accurate honest reporting. There is a market for opinions, as well. We bloggers actually know the difference. Educate yourself, young woman, or find another job. Grow up!

I'm willing to bet that the author of this whiney piece will deliberately pick out the least literate posts she can find on this thread, and console herself with them.

[Baytovin]

"Bush won, Arafat died, we're kicking ass in Fallujah, and now this!"


...and Liberal rants such as this paper's give us even MORE reason to celebrate the growing irrelevence of the old media...

[albee]

"Looks like he likes to dress up as a woman."

Thanks for posting the picture.

Why is it that I just KNEW that Antonia would be a blond?

[alrea]

"Bush won, Arafat died, we're kicking ass in Fallujah, and now this!"

...and Liberal rants such as this paper's give us even MORE reason to celebrate the growing irrelevance of the old media...

and everyday management at newspapers and big networks are thinking about how to lay off more "star wannabe" socialist journalists