Internet Performs Global Role, Supplementing TV (2 Freepers mentioned by Screen Name)

USC Annenberg ^ | February 24, 2003 | Tim Blair

[OneLoyalAmerican]

Greetings HighWheeler, FReepers, et al:
When the significance of an "overdue" Space Shuttle was dismissed by the main stream media; I jumped onto a FreeRepublic breaking news thread, and kept myself informed.

[Grampa Dave]

Well, thanks to seamole and AP WorldStream via COMTEX, FR is breaking news again with this thread: (Report: North Korea launches missile AP WorldStream via COMTEX link)

Seamole beat Fox news by 11 minutes, I believe.

[RobFromGa]

And earlier today, Hal9000 had the US/Brit resolution text up 1.5 hours before it was anywhere on a major site (and I was looking).

[Grampa Dave]

I don't watch Fox except to listen to the President or some other administration person in action. I haven't watched ABCNNBCBS and their phoney news for over 10 years now.

I prefer a live thread on FR. We get great feedback from Freepers during the speech. If something new is mentioned that most of us don't know about, bam, some freeper has knowledge and a link to a site. We soon learn whom to trust and who are the Freeper BS artists. We have experts on the real enviral issues, financial issues, water issues, oil and energy issues and of course the Geo and American political issues.

We have seen a cop killer brought to justice due to Free Republic. We have seen an al Fuqra training compound near Fresno closed due to Free Republic.

The maggots who control the media have little control over Freepers re news and what is news. Only if we allow them to have any control will they have control. When we say that we don't believe in their phoney news and go to other sources, they become irrelevant to us at that moment.

[Grampa Dave]

That was at first just a general Freeper News Thread about what was to be a normal landing by Columbia.

Leadpenny started that incredible thread, and Free Republic again scooped the nation.

[TLBSHOW]

didn't we go throught this once before?

[PeaceBeWithYou]

How many Freepers did we have at the end of August in 2001 before 9/11?

Radar Rick, Freeper#66,878, was the first signup on 9-11-2001.

100,308 registered Freepers as of today (02-25-2003).

Projecting forwards, FR should have at least 150,000 by Election 2004, maybe closer to 175,000, or more as growth tends to be non-linear.

[Mo1]

Yep

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Grrrrr...scratch out that today in the above, appearently JR now has a waiting period on signups. Could be how and why #100,000 is named 100,000th.

[harpo11]

Long Live the FreeRepublic! Best watering hole in cyberspace!

[RobFromGa]

Way to go FR

[TLBSHOW]

I new it. LOL

[CaptRon]

At least five threads on the attacks had already begun at FreeRepublic.com before the Drudge Report had filed a single story or posted a link

Which is the absuolute beauty of this site! Not only can you get a jump on most news, but it ehances the live viewing experience (like last night's Grammys, or the 2000 election, or the State of the Union address). I do believe FR to be the leader in this regard.

[Mo1]

I'm not sure it's the same as the last time .. but it's the second time my screen name has been mentioned on a post I didn't make

[CedarDave]

...appearently JR now has a waiting period on signups.

Explain, please? I see nothing about a waiting period on the registration page.

[TLBSHOW]

:>)

[CedarDave]

100,000+ strong, and still Drudge won't put us back up as a link.

[SeeRushToldU_So]

We are relevant!

[Balata]

Here you can check the Daily Stats.

Click on sign up and you can see we have about 150 new sign ups per day.