"Is the Internet Polarizing U.S. Political Dialogue?" (FreeRepublic mentioned)

Annenberg Journalism School, USC ^ | April 23, 04 | Mark Glaser

[sweetliberty]

"and how about that little "Freedom of Assembly" thing in the Constitution???"

It startted on the path into history with desegregation. I'm not saying that desegregation was a bad thing, just that it went too far and as a result, more of our constitutional protections were eroded.

[truth_seeker]

"Are the liberals now upset because someone else besides liberals can post and discuss news?"

Of course. Listen to the derisive tone by them, when mention is made of Limbaugh, Drudge, Hannity, etc.

These sources of news information clearly got their credibility the hard way: They earned it in the competitive marketplace for ideas.

Whereas the network media hacks got their credibility by way of monopoly. The NYT is the NYT; same WP, CBS, CNN.

The typical citizen of earlier times assumed credibility (even balance) from the "esteemed" news sources. My 78 year old mother is of that type.

She doesn't know any better. She thinks she is too old to learn computer, too old and tired to change her thinking. She "trusts" the mainstream media.

She was raised a Republican, but has drifted leftward, largely by media manipulation.

[fire_eye]

Have the conservatives finally found out how to use the Internet to bypass us to get to the truth?

You think you're joking... but Sarah Brady *literally* complained that gun owners were influencing public opinion by "Using The Internet To Go Around The Media" (an exact quote). (Why, the NERVE!!!)

[fire_eye]

You will find your share of hippy-head-cracking jackboot lickers right here on Free Republic.

whaaaAAAAT???

There's no way I'm going to lick my jackboots after cracking some dirty hippie's head open with them!!

[ccmay]

Matt Drudge, the nom de plume of a conservative

Hmm? It's his real name, I think, not a nom de plume (pen name, for the folks in Rio Linda.)

-ccm

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

The major point I'd emphasize is the risk that when like-minded people speak mostly to one another, there's more division and polarization and less mutual understanding. This is a serious problem for American democracy. Lots of options are good, but it's not so good if people sort themselves into echo chambers."

Journalism is politics, and always was.

Journalism which claims to be wise ("objective") is intolerant of dissent and therefore extremely political.

People who think journalism is objective are at most risk of living in a political echo chamber because their prejudice is constantly reinforced by the presumption of those whose word they take on faith.

[tessalu]

Yes, Free Republic gives us a voice every day of the week, it is irreplaceable

[Clintonfatigued]

The main reason the discourse is so harsh is that the country is evenly divided between liberals and conservatives, between 'Rats and Republicans. We're essentially a 50/50 nation right now, and liberals are upset that they no longer dominate political discourse. Of you look closely, the worst demagoguery comes from the left.