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.
Why would we wish to use a 35 inch yardstick to measure anything?
And be even more dangerous as he will be able to feed the propaganda to the new news-reader.
Love the "still much-watched"...I'm sure the ratings will continue to tank, especially with Rather behind the scenes now and everyone knows it.
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.
I'm sorry that name stuck. Myself and quite a few others tried to discourage using a name that people would surely connect to it's origin, Islamofacists.
Personally I think Pajama Patriots or The Pajama Brigade fit FR people and Bloggers better.
They still are lost and spinning with their projections: ---claim credit---(well they wouldn't expose their lies, so we did) ---Rather apologizing---Yea, a Clinton apology...
"bloggers have no checks and balances.
"You couldn't have a starker contrast between the multiple layers of checks and balances obstruction, lies, deception, misinformation and coverups (on network news) and a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing."
He's got the second part right, but is projecting big time with the first statement...FR and the Bloggers are the checks and balances.
No....we feed off the lies, mistakes, and bias of "professional" journalists.
Gee I don't know who is uglier or shriller Antonia Z or Mo Dowd.
Nice ReWrite™.
Apparently, every public institution can thrive with criticism and watchdogs except the MSM.
You guys have been on the welfare of the public's unquestioning acceptance for too long. Time to get in shape.
Uhmmmm. We ARE the check and balance on the liars that we call the MSM. That's why propagandists like Rather are FINALLY crashing and burning. After over a dozen years of spreading propaganda.
It's about time.
I seem to remember Memogate.
If I ever moved to Canada, I would certainly only move to a place like Calgary which, I believe, is fairly conservative. Moving to Toronto would be like living in San Francisco.
Well put.
She's going to notice that many read her name as Antonio and therefore are sexist Neanderthals.
Now, don't be so hard on yourself.
side note: not sure how I feel about newspapers quoting what freepers say here..??
We're in the public. Deal.
Which goes to show that everyone should temper their posts accordingly. There are Eyes all around.
Just because your paranoid doesn't mean they aren't watching you!
Ever see the film "The Insider?"
The 60 Minutes producer (Lowell Burgman?) played by Pacino happened to mention he was a student of Gramsci's. My jaw just dropped. I don't see why they would have put it in the script if it wasn't true.
Sad thing is, I don't recall in what context his name was mentioned.
Some of us pajamahadeens have journalism degrees so we can do our own legwork. ;) And even if we don't have the degrees....we can spot stupidity and bias 1,000 miles away.....
This guy/gal --- whatever ---- is looking for attention, and what other way to get it than to use FR?
Hey you! I almost didn't recognise you without your tam.
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I agree with you.
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