Dan Rather Memogate
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.
Wow. Well, I'll be darned. Plagarism in [Cyber]Space .....
bump!
That's the impression I'm getting; this has to be the fourth or fifth article from CBS about blogs.
Of course, as somebody pointed out to me today, when an article or an assertion is made or posted on FR, it takes about 15 minutes for it to be thoroughly vetted from every point of view.
ABC has a blog.
CBS is pissed because they don't have a 24/7 cable news network like NBC, FOX, and ABC have, and they don't even have a blog on their site, all the other media outlets do though.
Cnn has one also ... I guess CBS can go after them too
That's true, I had forgotten CNN had a blog.
read later
Can't have anyone monkeying with "The Truth"TM
Mark
"... and, dammit: that's OUR job -- !" :)
hahahahaaaaaa! Perfect eye for SeeBS! :^D
I thought I had one to post but I can't find it. It keeps disappearing.
bttt
man that was good! where did you get the eye?
Perhaps it's time to organize a sustained boycott of CBS altogether.
I would like to know that, too. If you get an answer, could you forward it to me? Thanks!
Carolyn
I will do that. I can think of a lot of ways to make political speech look innocuous, and I'm sure there are plenty of other talents around...
But that remark in the article just raised the hair on the back of my neck.
A band-aid for the black eye?
Maybe they should put a steak on it, or a stake in it.
I live so far out in the boonies that CBS (along with ABC and NBC) are options that I would have to pay $2.00 each a month for, if I wanted them, which I don't. So, I have already boycotted them, as far as watching them goes.
I'd be thrilled to boycott their main sponsors, though, if anyone has a list...and write letters, too...
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