The pajamahadeens are digging their own graves (FR Featured)

Toronto Star ^ | Nov. 25, 2004. 01:00 AM | ANTONIA ZERBISIAS

[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.

[TomGuy]

Hey, ANTONIA ZERBISIAS

How many national or worldly stories have you broken in your career?

Huh???? 3? 2? 1? None????

You are defending the indefensible. Dan Rather either was complicit or was more than willing to allow himself to be used. Even when the truth became obvious. Even after most other news organizations conceded that the documents were fake. Even after the parties to the faked memo were pretty much discredited for pushing their personal agenda (to defeat Bush) over presenting real news.

That isn't the Pajama Brigade's fault. Rather decided to stick with his story (shades of another who said on National TV, shaking his finger into the camera, "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky". Rather stuck with his story even when most of the rest of the world knew it was faked, a hoax, a scam.

So, ANTONIA ZERBISIAS, when do you think ole Dan will call Floria and Ohio for Bush?

As for Dan's groupie following, well, consider this:



signed,

[dansangel]

"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!"

The author has a problem with this?

Happy Thanksgiving!

[TheLawyerFormerlyKnownAsAl]

"young people are crowding into journalism schools, many of them in search of network TV stardom."

Freshman courses --

Developing a political agenda 101
Plagiarism and why it's OK 101
Using AP beats writing 101
How to imbed Democrat talking points into a story 101
Choosing a hairstyle 101

[Trippin]

This actually brings about an interesting point, one that I have been thinking about a lot lately. Why can't blogs not have their own "traditional" journalists? We have already seen bloggers given press passes to notable events such as the conventions. So why can't blogs organise and employ traditional journalists for assignments accross the US, Canada and abroad? Yes, it will cost money, but I think this is the next logical step in the blogging revolution. There must be a way to achieve this.

[Judith Anne]

Exactly.

[Laserman]

Exactly. Since the professional press has failed in their responsibility to present accurate, unbiased, fair and balanced coverage of the news, the bloggerdom has arisen to be a watchdog on the MSM. This will fill the void left by irresponsible press coverage.

[rejoicing]

You're right. They ALL are, or they wouldn't be liberals! Looking for an honest, reasonable liberal these days is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.........and when you actually do find one, he usually ends up seeing the error of his ways and becomes, horror of horrors, a conservative. Ayup! Ain't it the truth!

[mewzilla]

Ironically, bloggers mostly feed off the work of professional journalists who do the legwork.

HA! That's a good one! What legwork!?

[woofie]

She looks so much smarter than the people I know too...

Probably mad she spent money on a journalism degree while Matt Drudge was learning how to use a computer

[McGavin999]

If the media wants to survive, all it has to do is become balanced. An equal amount of reports from the other idealogical side would do much to extend their life. The media is dying because they haven't realized that it is their own hands around their necks that is strangling them to death.

Become balanced and we become benign.

[CyberCowboy777]

So we should just shut up and listen?

Yeah.... I'm thinking someone does not like being challenged or questioned.

[TADSLOS]

"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."

The only check and balancing going on with network news is down in the accounting departments. Truth, despite the efforts of the media to suppress it, will permeate to the surface, sometimes even at the hand of a pajama clad Red State ignoramus too stupid to understand the complexities of the world as viewed through highly trained propogandists posing as journalists.

p.s. - Hope you're reading this post, Antonia. You may also want to check the help wanted classifieds and consider a career change. You're in an industry with a mortal diease brought on from within. Deal with it.

[Flavius]

NO, we need cable news network...


It would make FOX look amateurish...

peace out...

[Cinnamon Girl]

Hey Antonio-- newspapers are a business, you cry baby. If you have to guilt people into buying your trash, maybe you should re-evaluate your product. Dan Rather was canned because he is a geriatric hysteric with low ratings. In the back of your socialistic mind, you probably think Dan should be government subsidized because he's providing a public service.

[VRWCTexan]

azerbis@thestar.ca

For those who wish to opine!

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

Why can't blogs not have their own "traditional" journalists?

"Traditional journalists" consort with other traditional journalists. They are in the swamp together.

Cancer is a disease that spreads.

It is far better to comment from a distance from the stench, where the air is clean and the commentary is unfettered.

[Jose Roberto]

Exactly, I am interested to see what is going on in other countries (suach as Spain, Mexico and Venezuela) where there are changes in their MSM and are beginning to put their leaders's feet to the fire (except Chavez who is destroying every institution in Venezuela). I'll bring some info on Latin America and Spain. Are you listening Antonia?

[longtermmemmory]

exactly, this reporter is a fool. Sites like FR are discussing the merits of what these Mediots are writing.

Most Mediots have short memories. How many anchors have been pushed aside to go on to editorial projects. Rather's still being around is just face saving BS.

Lets not forget this is not the first time Rather blundered.

[bert]

And still more November wonderfulness, the far northern leftists, the blue zone extension, is in mournful denial.

Rather is dead and soon will be gone. His appearances in the future will be the work of young and more able masters graduated from the apprentice ranks.

CBS is also dead because as long as the vindictave old men hang around there will be gridlock.

[HighWheeler]

Here is a quote from her on Nov 18, 2003:

"Zerbisias: Yes, I do feel that everyone is a media critic. We all scream at our TVs, don't we? As for bloggers, many of them humble me. I count my lucky stars that I was able to land a good-paying gig doing this, with health benefits yet, while other, much more talented people do it for nothing. But I don't think that bloggers, in general, are changing the media landscape. Sure, there have been instances but they have been rare, notable for their exceptionality. The truth is, bloggers are not that well read in the great scheme of things."

Followed by this:

Zerbisias: While I always reply to all reader e-mails, even the hate e-mails, sometimes I get annoyed by those people who believe I have nothing else to do all day but engage in debates with them and them alone. That's one. Two is that, like piles of unread newspapers in my kitchen, the Internet is starting to be a vast source of guilt that I am not doing my job. Nothing like a virtual pile of bookmarks.