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Ted Rall's Anti-Blog Column Draws Blog Reaction
Editor and Publisher ^ | Published: February 25, 2005 3:30 PM ET | Dave Astor

Posted on 03/04/2005 3:42:29 PM PST by sully777

NEW YORK When Ted Rall wrote a column Tuesday criticizing conservative blogs, it was no surprise that conservative bloggers would respond.

One of them, Edward Morrissey, wrote that Rall's "problem is that he expected bloggers to exist only to agree with his radical beliefs. Of course, that's Rall's idea of free speech."

Rall had revealed that, given the need to monitor the mainstream media, he was initially thrilled by the explosion of blogs. "Once you spend some time surfing this ocean of likeminded righties, however, you realize the awful truth: the 'populist' blogosphere is cowing the mainstream media even further into submission to the powers that be."

The Universal Press Syndicate columnist, whose weekly feature has 40 clients, added: "At a time when simply having a conservative Democrat spar with a conservative Republican is enough to earn the tag 'fair and balanced,' the fact is that the political blogs are dominated by the hard right. Such a development might have served as a laudable counterbalance during the 1930s, a period of liberal political hegemony. But when talk radio, cable television news, and all three branches of the federal and most state governments are under the control of the right, the blogger wolf pack merely serves to further ossify a dangerously out of whack ideological imbalance. Moreover, conservative blogs mirror their mainstream counterparts by applying a far angrier and more violent tone than that of their liberal foes."

Rall -- who also does editorial cartoons for 150 clients via Universal -- cited three examples of threatening language used by Republican bloggers, including one who wrote: "When I flush the toilet, it isn't considered violence, is it? So killing Ted Rall should be no different."

Among the bloggers responding to Rall's blog piece was Morrissey of Captain's Quarters. He wrote: "What qualifications does Rall have to write opinion columns for Universal Press Syndicate? He draws cartoons -- badly -- and expresses opinions similarly. I don't pay much attention to him as a rule, as he generally makes almost no sense whatsoever, and [his Tuesday] column is a perfect example."

Writing in her blog after Rall's Tuesday piece, Creators Syndicate columnist Michelle Malkin called the Universal commentator a "liberal bigot," and added: "Keep stepping in it, Ted. It's the only (mildly) funny thing you do."

Rall told E&P in a phone interview that some of the reaction to his column was "more restrained than usual." He attributed this to his column mentioning the "far angrier and more violent tone" of conservative bloggers. So, Rall said, they didn't want to prove his point by getting too nasty.

The columnist/cartoonist acknowledged that some bloggers have expertise in what they discuss, but many don't. And he wondered how many bloggers are "fake independent voices" actually being funded by the right -- or, in some cases, the left.

"I'm a fierce critic of the mainstream media, but the right-wing blogs are not an improvement," he added. "Right-wing bloggers are trying to destroy the mainstream media, but they don't have a plan for the occupation."

Rall said mainstream journalists -- while often wrong or biased -- do reporting and sometimes take risks before writing stories. "A 48-year-old doing a blog in the basement of his parents' house? That's fine. That's the First Amendment," he told E&P. "But it ain't journalism."

David Astor ( dastor@editorandpublisher.com ) is a senior editor at E&P


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: newmedia; rall; rallcall
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To: sully777
I'm a fierce critic of the mainstream media

Ted has a pretty high opinion of himself, huh? In his mind it's Ted against the world. A Walter Mitty for the 21st Century?

41 posted on 03/04/2005 4:51:14 PM PST by The Electrician
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To: Clemenza

When someone like Trent Lott says something stupid the left has "groups" they can rally to hound him out of office. Well, the Bloggers are our "groups", and they do seem to be buying us some leverage we didn't have before so I say more power to them.


42 posted on 03/04/2005 4:52:53 PM PST by johnb838 ("You Have Ruled, Now Let Us See You Enforce" Need some wood?)
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To: sully777
Rall said mainstream journalists -- while often wrong or biased -- do reporting and sometimes take risks before writing stories. "A 48-year-old doing a blog in the basement of his parents' house? That's fine. That's the First Amendment," he told E&P. "But it ain't journalism."

Ted's a bit confused, I'm afraid. He has the current batch of left-wing megaphones in MSM confused with journalists. Much of the so-called "right-wing" anger at the media comes down to the fact that the truth - the REAL, OBJECTIVE TRUTH - has been obscured, lied about, subverted, and perverted intentionally by the MSM. In my book, not reporting a story because it doesn't fit your views is an intentional subversion of the truth, because you have imposed your viewpoint on others in the name of "journalism".

Feh.

Ted's journalist firends suredly include Eason Jordan, who infamously admitted that CNN continually covered up Iraqi atrocities under Saddam in order to keep their "access" - and then decried the war in Iraq as being excessively punishing to the very people formerly being shredded by the network's favorite malevolent despot.

Double feh.

43 posted on 03/04/2005 4:54:40 PM PST by MortMan (Man who run in front of car get tired.)
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To: sully777

Turd Ball's articles are as horrible as his cartoons.


44 posted on 03/04/2005 4:54:57 PM PST by DTogo (U.S. out of the U.N. & U.N out of the U.S.)
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To: dead

I hope you don't mind, but I saved that. My dad in Korea will love it. The Kool Aid, peace sign and no-guns icons are great ;- )


45 posted on 03/04/2005 4:55:46 PM PST by cake_crumb (Leftist Credo: "One Wing to Rule Them all and to the Dark Side Bind Them")
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To: sully777
Do we have a way to find out what are the 40 and 150 media outlets that are stupid, or sufficiently leftist, to pay cash money for the gross output of Ted Rall? If it could be easily done, the information would be interesting to use.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Death in a Courtly Manner"

46 posted on 03/04/2005 5:15:47 PM PST by Congressman Billybob ("The truth is out there." Yep, it's on the Internet, but it takes digging, and common sense.)
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To: sully777

Boy he really is stupid. the media is about money. when they start going broke, they will stop the propaganda service they provide now. If they want to die an ugly death so be it. The vacumn will be filled. Rall is a pathetic leftie that can't think past his own nose.


47 posted on 03/04/2005 5:21:19 PM PST by marty60
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To: My2Cents
The only reason the blog hits on the MSM have had traction is that the MSM have been guilty as charged.
Bingo! This guy whines about "the powers that be" in journalism - but mass-market journalism is the business of cheap talk about institutions which have responsibilities and a bottom line.

Any industry finds it convenient to limit competition among themselves, and mass-market journalism is in now way an exception to that rule. Except that whereas other industries have the threat of anti-trust enforcement, journalism has First Amendment protection which allows it to feel free to conspire in plain sight. Big Journalism coheres in the principle that there is no competition within it over objectivity. Anyone who questions the objectivity of a journalist is aggressively condemned as "not objective, not a journalist."


48 posted on 03/04/2005 5:24:19 PM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion (The idea around which liberalism coheres is that NOTHING actually matters but PR.)
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To: sully777
Rall even dresses the part of the Upper West Side Liberal. Ever suit he's ever worn on TV looks like it came from East Germany.

As a matter of fact, Rall looks like he was from East Germany.

49 posted on 03/04/2005 6:07:38 PM PST by Doctor Raoul (Support Our Troops, Spit On A Reporter)
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To: dead

I have to wonder about guys whose taglines are inspired by "one eyed hooker" jokes...


50 posted on 03/04/2005 6:09:48 PM PST by Doctor Raoul (Support Our Troops, Spit On A Reporter)
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To: CzarNicky
Rall -- who also does editorial cartoons for 150 clients via Universal -- cited three examples of threatening language used by Republican bloggers, including one who wrote: "When I flush the toilet, it isn't considered violence, is it? So killing Ted Rall should be no different."

How does he know their party affiliation??

51 posted on 03/04/2005 6:16:35 PM PST by GeronL (Condi will not be mistaken for a cleaning lady)
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To: John Jorsett

If I came up with that toilet line, I would proud. I'm considering making it my tagline.


52 posted on 03/04/2005 6:18:34 PM PST by Flightdeck (Liberals see Saddam's mass graves as half full. I prefer to see them as half empty.)
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To: johnb838

I don't like to advocate violence but it's always worked for me.


53 posted on 03/04/2005 6:28:08 PM PST by KingofQue
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion

Most TV news services don't make any money. They are supported by the shows that do and siphon off the funds that they need, like the parasites that they are.


54 posted on 03/04/2005 6:31:11 PM PST by KingofQue
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To: sully777

Isn't Rall still due a midnight visit by a squad of Army Rangers?


55 posted on 03/04/2005 6:57:21 PM PST by Morgan's Raider
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To: StarFan; Dutchy; alisasny; BobFromNJ; BUNNY2003; Cacique; Clemenza; Coleus; cyborg; DKNY; ...
Writing in her blog after Rall's Tuesday piece, Creators Syndicate columnist Michelle Malkin called the Universal commentator a "liberal bigot," and added: "Keep stepping in it, Ted. It's the only (mildly) funny thing you do."

Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my ‘miscellaneous’ ping list.

56 posted on 03/04/2005 7:20:21 PM PST by nutmeg (democRATs = The Party of NO)
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To: Howlin
Writing in her blog after Rall's Tuesday piece, Creators Syndicate columnist Michelle Malkin called the Universal commentator a "liberal bigot," and added: "Keep stepping in it, Ted. It's the only (mildly) funny thing you do."
57 posted on 03/04/2005 7:21:27 PM PST by nutmeg (democRATs = The Party of NO)
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To: dead

LOL!


58 posted on 03/04/2005 8:01:13 PM PST by ELS
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To: 6SJ7
The difference between Ted Rall and a toilet?

When a toilet gets all full up of sh!t, it can be flushed.

59 posted on 03/04/2005 8:03:36 PM PST by Petronski (I'm not always cranky. Sometimes I'm downright grouchy. Grrr.)
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To: sully777; hellinahandcart; NYC GOP Chick; cyborg; Lil'freeper
The Universal Press Syndicate columnist, whose weekly feature has 40 clients, added: "At a time when simply having a conservative Democrat spar with a conservative Republican is enough to earn the tag 'fair and balanced,' the fact is that the political blogs are dominated by the hard right.

Get the man a crying towel.

Don't kid yourself Rall. After we finish dispatching the MSM, we will institute honest, truthful reporting. Including the news story of one cartoonist that shall be unemployed in the near future.

60 posted on 03/04/2005 9:30:22 PM PST by sauropod (Hitlary: "We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.")
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