Tony Snow: 'Thank God for Blogs!'

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

"Thank God for blogs," said White House Press Secretary Tony Snow this afternoon, commenting on the Bush administration's communications efforts. The comment came in the course of conference call for bloggers in which I participated, conducted by Snow and Brett McGurk [pictured here], the National Security Council's Director for Iraq, giving a preview of President Bush's speech of tonight on Iraq.

Snow described the problem with the traditional media - generously I would say - not in terms of bias but as a function of the "if it bleeds it leads" tendency.

In any case, it's clear that the White House sees blogs such as NewsBusters playing an important role in cutting through the MSM clutter. Snow also described the frustration of military people in Iraq with media coverage that does not comport with the reality they experience in the field. Snow predicted that service people would begin using their own video cameras and sites such as YouTube and LiveLeak to get the word out. Along those lines, I can say that one of the most empowering aspects of my recent trip to Iraq was the ability to put video up on NewsBusters, at times within an hour of events in the field, as with this report on a training exercise of Iraqi soldiers on the Euphrates river in Anbar province.

Among the encouraging details emerging from the conference call was the plan to have combined Iraqi and US forces remain in Baghdad neighborhoods "24/7" once they had been pacified, to ensure that security gains would be enduring.

Those interested in an advance look at what the President will be discussing tonight are encouraged to review this Q & A on the speech released this afternoon by the White House.

Finkelstein was in Iraq in November. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net Tony Snow: 'Thank God for Blogs'

[IrishMike]

Bush ... 2 great votes
Snow .... a great choice

[Alia]

The blogs are a drop in the bucket. They influence the handful of people who read them. They do not influence the vast herd of sheeple. The Big Three networks and the big newspapers are still the name of the game, and that's why the liberals still rule.

I disagree. Blogs contribute much more than a 'surge'. More like a rising tide..

[mware]

Does someone at the WH actually read blogs, or FR, to get a feel of what we are thinking?

As a matter of a fact they do. Tony Snow was a FReeper before he took his WH gig.

[McGavin999]

Life has sure become better since Tony moved to the WH. If we would have had someone of his calibre in there for the last couple of years we might be looking at a whole different situation now.

[LexBaird]

Tony works for the President. Just what,exactly would you have him do for you? just asking

Since you ask, how about bitchslapping Helen Thomas and Dick Gregory, just before pulling their WH credentials for good?

[maxwellp]

If I were a Republican President of the USA, I'd read FreeRepublic every day. FreeRepublic is highly informative and its posters are very intelligent and savvy. And best of all, they are very patriotic and pro-America.

[California Patriot]

They're an enjoyable toy, but not much more than that.

[Alia]

Well, golly. There's a ton of personal blogs; and then there's ones that are actually contesting the so-called facts of the MSM. Let's see, I do believe, FreeRepublic which is not a blog but a forum did have something to do with exposing the fraudulent left and Dan Walters.

Michelle Malkin and Eason Jordan? Powerline, NewsBusters, Sweetness & Light, JVeritas, oh shucks, the list is huge..

It's just so amazing that the MSM would refer to these bloggers in the news articles. In recent newspapers a Duke Academic has even referred to bloggers digging up facts concerning the Duke La Crosse players as..."BLOG HOOLIGANS"! Can you imagine that?

Have fun with your toys!

[mewzilla]

They're an enjoyable toy, but not much more than that.

www.littlegreenfootballs.com

:)

[California Patriot]

There are feature stories about all kinds of unimportant things. No surprise that there should be some about blogs.

Blogs are important in one VERY limited respect: They are the main way in which some of the most politically sophisticated (or politically obsessed -- there's a difference) conservatives keep in touch with each other and share ideas. Also are probably the main news source now for some of these people -- myself included. But that hasn't made conservatives any more effective than they were. It's just hastened the speed with which they can react -- among themselves -- to the latest liberal outrage. There is no evidence that they have converted any liberals or moderates, or that they have had a real impact (except in a couple of isolated cases) on either the MSM or Republican politicians. Also, it's far from a uniquely conservative tool. The leftists have plenty of blogs too. In fact, these blogs are generally regarded as having much more impact than ours on the political process, because they're more oriented toward activism.

[California Patriot]

I've seen it before. It's inside-baseball stuff about the Middle East. Again, I doubt LGF has had an impact on public opinion, or elite opinion. It's just conservatives (and pro-Israel people) talking to themselves.

[StarFan]

CONGRATS ON BEING ONE OF THE BLOGGERS CHOSEN BUMP.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Many thanks, SF: it was gratifying to be invited to participate.

[phillyfanatic]

Lazy is the Left's watchword since they replay not only the DNC but Kos et al. The media uses the same framework ala Nam, and other military incursions the USA has made in the last 50 years. In fact, Kennedy , Leahy, et al are using the same lingo they used to help us lose in Nam. Of course, blogs which actually do investigations of new items are a God-send.

[SauronOfMordor]

There's also, probably, a factor of laziness. Reading some of the MSM's reporting is like reading a "rip-and-read" version of DNC talking points. I wonder how many reporters don't actually do the work of investigating a story, but rely upon the latest propaganda dump from their allies on the left?

My daughter worked at a small local paper at one point. A good portion of what went in was copy/pasted from press releases from one group or other

Reporters like having their work easy. If somebody will hand them a pre-written story, it gives them more time to hang out in the bar. And if they can avoid going out on the street, they feel safer

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Snow described the problem with the traditional media - generously I would say - not in terms of bias but as a function of the "if it bleeds it leads" tendency.

That is a false dichotomy. The "if it bleeds it leads" tendency is a reality - and that tendency is a bias. The tendency can be "justified" on grounds of the self interest of journalism to attract attention - but the self interest of journalism is a special interest.

Journalists have no qualms about criticizing and condemning the NRA and the gun manufacturers, yet the Second Amendment comes closer to saying that I should have a gun - for a "necessary" militia - than the First Amendment comes to asserting that the Sultzberg familiy should have a printing press. Journalists work overtime when bad things happen to the rest of us. Journalism is a special interest.

[RedRover]

Thought you'd want to see this.

[tanuki]

George Bush has got to be the luckiest man to ever hold the office of POTUS. He just happened to come in just as a communications revolution took off.

On the other hand, whoever handles his communications has to be the lamest bunch of arrogant imbeciles ever. If his paid staff did half the work bloggers do for free, his record on the economy, the real progress in Iraq, all these things would be out there. The drive-by media would be playing catch-up.

Instead, he and we are lucky this isn't 1974 still. The media would have eaten him alive and we would be talking about President Gore.

[pinkpanther111]

Thanks for the ping. I had started reading this thread earlier and never finished!!!

[traviskicks]

interesting contrast with the dem attitute towards the blogs, there are statements form Dean, Kerry and Hillary against them.