Posted on 11/25/2004 7:52:43 AM PST by 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.
Would like to see the names of those big name professionals who do this 'legwork'. . .could he name one?
LOL. . .and don't you know ;^)
Ha. If they only knew. Some of us are award-winning journalists who got drummed out because we wanted to report the truth and they didn't want to print it.
Send ANTONIA ZERBISIAS to the DUmmie board, ooops, that's probably where he/she got his info in the first place!
Love the badge!!
Except, we're not a BLOG. We are a conservative news source!
Little difference though.
How nice if "professional" journalists went away.
Envision a world where any politician can be asked a question by any citizen, and get a straight answer, which may or may not wind up blogged, with distribution uncertain- ranging from three to three million viewers on a given day, or may not be widespread until something else happens.
Imagine a politician or notable or "star" not having the Old Media act as cover; act as a partisan pusher of agendas; act as a branch of the Left, cover up unpleasant facts.
Imagine a citizen going to an event and reporting on it, without a "press pass" that limits access to the special, the elite, the tame reporters who will not rock the stat.
I'm starting a company that will sell puppy training pads and birdcage liners and fire starters, because when print newspaper disappears, people will still need these ancillary services the Old Media provides.
Hey I like that, you making up a batch of them for sale???
Nothing seems to scare the MSM folks as much as the idea of people actually critically discussing what they have written.
I find it ironic and hilarious that anybody would say something like this after the phony memos were unmasked. Multiple layers of checks and balances.... riiiight...
I dunno... the one where he refers to "the rigours of professional journalism" has to be pretty close....
Aha! But here they admit they think they're going to die...!
Well, that at least is one story they're going to get RIGHT!
And then notice that they say that we have to fire UP at them..? Hey, THERE'S some modesty...!
bloggosphere
Go Bloggoshere, we love ya, get the truth out, one more time...........keep it up,,,,,yea.............
The trouble is that it's already illegal now to broadcast false reports on the radio and TV - and what does it get us but Dan Rather and his so-called "memos!"I'm sure that certain politicians would like to regulate bloggers. That's just NOT going to happen.
Bloggers are far more legitimate than broadcast journalists, because you don't need a license to be a blogger. And the First Amendment is about not having to have licenses in order to express your opinion.
Of course, this followed Drudge doing the blue dress story!!!
ANTONIA ZERBISIAS,
Sorry Have we disturb you little cabal of arrogant biased unappologetics "journalists"?
It must suck to have your profession clled into question so often.
____________________________________________________________
What a freaking arrogant idiot. Those of us that you call Parasites Antonia are the same that do more leg work to verify the stories that you write because we are sick of being fed the lies and constant slant that any reporter that feels their opinion trumps that facts feels the can espouse.
The author seems confused in his assertion that the MSM isn't highly opinionated with it's ever faulty and much vaunted "checks and balances".
Let the arrogance and defensiveness continue.
"Still, the credibility of the corporate media continues to plummet."
This article brought a smile to my face. Suddenly reporters are distressed that their work can be analyzed and cross-referenced for veracity. The horror.
The mullahs of Iran and the liberal left HATE the internet, and for the same reason.
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.