Posted on 12/09/2004 10:18:50 PM PST by weegee
When I was linking to CBS News for my Stupefy Me report earlier today (directly below), I came across this gem of a story (FR THREAD ON THE CBS ARTICLE: Blogs: New Medium, Old Politics NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2004). It appears that CBS News not only is striking back at the blogs and bloggers that took out Dan Rather and embarrassed their entire organization, but they are also supporting censorship of us rascally citizens.
Internet blogs are providing a new and unregulated medium for politically motivated attacks. With the same First Amendment protections as newspapers, blogs are increasingly gaining influence.(snip)
…Case precedent on political speech as it pertains to blogs does not exist. But where journalists' careers may be broken on ethics violations, bloggers are writing in the Wild West of cyberspace. There remains no code of ethics, or even an employer, to enforce any standard.
At minimum, the role of blogs in the Daschle-Thune race is a telling harbinger for 2006 and 2008. Some blogs could become new vehicles for the old political dirty tricks.
Like all media, blogs hold the potential for abuse. Experts point out that blogs' unregulated status makes them particularly attractive outlets for political attack.
(snip)
“[The question is] whether blogs are analogous to a sole person campaigning or whether they are very much a media publication, which is essentially akin to an online newspaper,” said Goldberg, who is the legal counsel to the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
(snip)
Beginning next year, the F.E.C. will institute new rules on the restricted uses of the Internet as it relates to political speech.
“I think those questions are going to have to be asked and answered,” said Lillian BeVier, a First Amendment expert at the University of Virginia. “It’s going to be an issue and it should be an issue.”
The whole story is worth a read. It details the impact of blogs on the Daschle-Thune race. Surprisingly, it does not mention the impact of blogs on Dan Rather or our liberal counterparts’ impact on the leaking of exit poll data. There is no word on whether veteran anchors can be used as a vehicles for the old political dirty tricks.
> So it looks like CBS is going to have to get used to
> having 20 million fact checkers looking over their
> sholder from now on.
From now on?
Free political speech has been flowing on the Internet,
and the ARPAnet before it, for over 20 years. CBS is
just a little slow to notice.
They need to worry less about who will be checking on them,
and more about whether CBS will be around for anyone to
bother checking on.
It means the government will actually require you to wear tinfoil on your head to keep OUT the bloggers. Strange turn of events, eh?
I think it means the beltway doesn't like us talking to eachother so much.
When they talk about regulating blogs, know that Free Republic is on the top of their list.
BTW, wasn't Dan's creative writing test scores due this week?
Dec. 10 or 11, I thought I read.
Well, bleep the Beltway. ;-D
True, but it didn't matter then. Now, with something like 75% of the American Households having some access to the net, and web publishing something a high schoold dropout can master, it can no longer be ignored.
It was easy to ignore 5000 radicals at various colleges. Even if they proved their point and showed the documetation, nobody would listen, and you couldn't get it aired to save your sole. But now we need no one else's concent or approval to get something really wide exposure.
But, be that as it may, the important part of this is not now widespread it is, but how adept the American public is at filtering the sewage from the wine. How well and how quickly the word spreads and the forged documents were found out. One day. One F*ing day!
Of course. Bad news is always released on Fri. afternoon to keep a sharp dip caused by paniced shareholders from sitting all weekend. Thanks.
Separated at birth-- The CBS eye and Gort, the robot from The Day the Earth Stood Still.
"So, they (CBS, et al) can always sue us. That is a form of regulation. Otherwise, we are as free as they are to propagate discussion."
We're also free to discuss their propaganda.
33 posts so far...
Dawg. Let'em try...
Oops, wait, they're gonna try. Dang it.
Awrighty then, let'em try really fast, because at the rate they're going, the Old Media is gonna be the Dead Media in five years.
Good luck in getting blog regulation passed during this administration!
Natch.
Well...
It looks like Claire Wolfe may have to revise on when it's time to "shoot the bastards."
The soulless creeps better keep their damned hands off my sole! And neither my soul, nor my sole, is for sale!
CBS wants a MONOPOLY on this.
That's what I meant to say.
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.