Posted on 02/15/2005 1:31:56 PM PST by quidnunc
Unlike their American peers, British bloggers are yet to take a major political scalp, but there are signs that the growing community of amateur online pundits is becoming an influential force.
Eason Jordan, the chief news executive of the American television channel, CNN, resigned last week following intense blog pressure after he had made remarks about US troops in Iraq killing journalists.
A study of British political blogs carried out by the Hansard Society last year criticised the UK’s main sites for pandering to "internet connoisseurs rather than ordinary members of the public".
"Political blogging in the UK is much more embryonic and exclusive than in the US," said Ross Ferguson, the new media manager at the Hansard Society.
"UK bloggers have yet to decide whether blogging is a means to promote transparency in politics or another tool for party campaigning."
In contrast, American bloggers have latched on to deeply emotive issues.
Mr Jordan's professional demise follows that of Dan Rather, the veteran CBS news presenter, who came under attack after levelling accusations over President George W Bush's military service. The subsequent probe by the channel, triggered by blog reports, led to the departure of four high-level executives from the network.
-snip-
(Excerpt) Read more at business.timesonline.co.uk ...
Mr Ireland admits that British bloggers have not made the same impact as their American peers but says that the gap between the two groups is closing. He believes that this year's general election is likely to accelerate the process.
My experience with Brits on the Internet leads me to believe this has more to do with the nature of the audience than with the bloggers.
Most Brits just don't seem that interested in politics, and those who do use the 'Net do so for amusement and/or companionship more than for information-gathering.
It's as though they use their computers as a sort of cyber pub where they can get together with their mates for a bit of a chinwag and some good-natured — and npt-so-good-natured — piss-taking.
lol.. PING for later!
Paging MADIVAN, Paging MADIVAN. You have a mission..
To try and get anyone to talk about politics is like pulling hen's teeth.....ain't gonna happen.
Illuminating, is it not, that MI and a number of other Brits choose to frequent Free Republic rather than a comparable British site?
And, you may ask, why is that?
Because there is no British site comparable to Free Republic.
is it really scalps bloggers are after, or just shaking the puzzle box until all the pieces fall together?
To date, it has been a matter of making the public aware of things which the MSM is either ignoring or attempting to bury.
Howsever James Lileks yesterday said that he's afraid that the blogsphere is going to get a big head and overreach, and in the process harm its credibility.
We also have many frequenters from Australia and Poland, as two additional examples. Freeper impact is international.
My experience of a year living in Britian is that Brits are far less caring about politics. Most grumble about the Labour Party but then end up voting for them anyway once they get in. Their attitude generally is that the two parties are so similar that it doesn't matter.
They've also seen to taken the big government excuses as facts. "If we had lower taxes, poor people would go hungry." "We have high gas taxes but it helps people from driving too much and contributing to global warming."
sure_fine wrote: is it really scalps bloggers are after, or just shaking the puzzle box until all the pieces fall together?
and that is exactly why I wanted to put that out
And the UK blog roll from Fistful of Euros:
Gee, really? I wasn't aware they'd left yet...
I don't think they have!
FreeBritannia was good (MadIvan founder?) was pretty good, but "Sic transit......"
I believe I'm correct in saying that the producer Mary Mapes is gone because she was fired outright.
Three execs' resignations were requested, but they have refused to submit them and have hired lawyers.
SterlingTimes tried to recreate Free Britannia and asked me to help since I had been involved in FB.
The Brits on ST's board would have none of it and created so much disruption that I left in disgust and ST gave up expanding the scope of his board.
The Brits just would not tolerate any Americans or Jews on their patch, and these were Brits who claimed to be conservative.
From this side of the Atlantic, I see plenty of liberal politics in the U.K., and plenty of liberal media, but a lack of conservative concensus in the population to bitch about it. Mad Ivan better light some fires. The younger Brits will learn that they run the show if they'll just get off their arses.
LOL.
Have the Brits get pj's with horses on them. They can be The 1st Cavalry Division of the Pajamahadeen.
I worked in the UK for a year, and we had many heated political discussions. One Scot had a comment I will never forget - he said that while the US and UK systems of gov't look similar on the surface, they really are not.
In the UK, the people have the rights that are granted to them by the state; in the US, the people have all the rights they haven't ceded to the state.
That is a profound difference, and it affects the way people think about politics.
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