Atlas Mugged: How a Gang of Scrappy, Individual Bloggers Broke the Stranglehold of the MSM

The Atlas Society ^ | Edward B. Driscoll, Jr.

[shove_it]

The twentieth century was the high point of mass culture—or “the overculture” as some call it. Any culture that could produce Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and The Honeymooners can’t be all bad.

But eventually, the connection between media elites and their audiences began to fracture. Though apocryphal, the line frequently attributed to Pauline Kael of the New Yorker in 1972 sums up the growing chasm between the overculture—particularly the media—and its audience: “I don’t know how Nixon won. No one I know voted for him.”

Just as the Big Three car manufacturers, with a once-monolithic hold on American consumers, seemed unaware that the public wanted a wider choice of cars (until Japan listened and responded), Pauline Kael’s in-crowd of coastal elites has, if anything, become even more clueless and resistant to emerging changes in the culture and dissemination of information.

How clueless? In 2004, Jonathan Klein, the former executive vice president of CBS News, described blogging as “a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing.” Last May, Time-Warner CEO Richard Parsons was quoted as saying, “The Googles of the world, they are the Custer of the modern world. We are the Sioux nation. They will lose this war if they go to war. The notion that the new kids on the block have taken over is a false notion.” ...

[2111USMC]

"But whatever its future form, the idea and ideal of individual self-publishing—something that our pamphleteer-era Founding Fathers would instantly understand and enthusiastically applaud—is safely here to stay."

Interesting read.

[goldstategop]

It can be said with all due modesty the Pajamahadeen changed the world. And the MSM have never forgiven them for it.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[knews_hound]

Thank you both for the kind words.

In most respects, blogging is a labor of love and I appreciate the encouragement.

Seen this Valin?

Cheers,

knewshound

http://www.knewshound.blogspot.com/

[scrabblehack]

MSM doesn’t seem to grasp the notion of “asymmetric conflict” either. MSM has far more to lose.

[Kevmo]

I think the MSM is still the Alpha Dog. I can find no other explanation for the candidacies of McCain and Tooty Fruity Rudy. The MSM is the reason why we have the governator rather than Tom McClintock, and the reason why Fred is polling 23% while Hunter polls 1%.

We still have a lot of hills to take.

[Southack]

A few thoughts:

1. the MSM is a coastal-elite, hyper-urban groupthink paradigm. the MSM ignores the opinions of the Heartland except when that opinion is identical to elite Coastal thinking.

2. the MSM sees their purpose as being to advance global socialism, not to merely report news. Come up with something that convinces Americans to transfer free wealth to Africa and the MSM will publish it. Come up with something that attacks the U.S. resistance to international collectivism and the MSM will publish it.

3. ...but the above can’t win by telling the truth and holding open debates. Knowing that it must win through deceit limits the power of the MSM to those instances where it can completely control information.

That power/control has been reduced over the past 60 years by private magazines/newsletters, pirate/ham radio, BBS’s, talk radio, the Internet, Fox News, independent films/documentaries, etc.

Once an unquestioned ethical powerhouse, CBS’ 60 Minutes is now a laughingstock...all because of the lack of the MSM’s ability to fully control all information and public debate.

4. Thus, we are seeing the MSM post-epoch...they are past their peak (of power) and they can’t get it back so long as their prime goal is to advocate global socialism through deceit.

[Rome2000]

The only advantage the enemedia has over the blogosphere is direct access to the politicians and the broadcast facilities.

Now if say a POTUS refused to deal with the MSM and say go directly to the people via the internet, take questions from citizens instead of reporters, the White House press corps would be irrelevant.

[Eepsy]

It's the only sub-$400 sub-notebook out there. Runs linux off of a solid state hard-drive. Comes out beginning of October and I can't wait!

Eee PC

[ko_kyi]

What is this obsession, bordering on religion, on insisting that news organizations be “objective”? In the early years of our nation every newspaper was an advocate of one political position or another. The founding fathers expected it to be so, and expressly codified their right to be partisan.

[shove_it]

Since Rather has dredged up “Rathergate” again here’s an encore of some 3yr. old FR threads to commemorate the event for your viewing pleasure:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1223397/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1222920/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1221395/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1221216/posts

I’ll try to get some credit for inter-net forums (especially FR) with this author and editor.

[Valin]

Thanks

[Redleg Duke]

You raise a very good point, and if I may amplify it, the ability of the "professional journalist" to read, write, construct sentences and comprehend is pathetically weak.

They are "face men and women" only. And their writing is so bad that any chance they have at being accepted is totally discounted. They are ignorant and vapid.

[shove_it]

It’s fine for news organizations to be partisan, so long as they don’t claim to be non-partisan and objective when it’s proved they are not.

[FreedomPoster]

I know guys who use their iPhones for that.

[knews_hound]

You know, until you mentioned it, I had never thought of it.

Now if I can just find some way to write it off my taxes.....

Cheers,

knewshound

http://www.knewshound.blogspot.com/