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Blogging As Typing, Not Journalism
CBS ^ | Eric Engberg

Posted on 11/08/2004 11:20:57 AM PST by Grendel9

As the election campaign unfolded, operators of some of the internet’s politics-oriented blogs, no doubt high on the perfume of many "hits" and their own developing sense of community, envisioned a future when they would diminish then replace the traditional media as the nation’s primary source of political news and commentary. *** The public is now assaulted by news and pretend-news from many directions, thanks to the now infamous "information superhighway." But the ability to transmit words, we learned during the Citizens Band radio fad of the 70’s, does not mean that any knowledge is being passed along. One of the verdicts rendered by election night 2004 is that, given their lack of expertise, standards and, yes, humility, the chances of the bloggers replacing mainstream journalism are about as good as the parasite replacing the dog it fastens on.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
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To: Grendel9

"PRETEND-NEWS"

Actually we must be careful, CBS has a copyright on Pretend-News!!


21 posted on 11/08/2004 11:36:01 AM PST by kaferhaus
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To: GSlob

But then, FR wasn't designed to be a blog.


22 posted on 11/08/2004 11:36:04 AM PST by anniegetyourgun
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To: Grendel9
Another example of the MSM current desire to push opinion instead of doing actual investigative journalism. He only cites the blogs that proclaimed Kerry in the lead and ignores all those who did not.

He uses their errors to proclaim MSM gave more accurate coverage when it took the networks days to call states for President Bush.

Then he compares computers to CB radios!

And he complains about bloggers expertise, standards and humility?

23 posted on 11/08/2004 11:36:15 AM PST by JanetteS (My heart is as light as a song!)
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To: lainie

I certainly do beleive that blogs and internet chat are going to replace mainstream journalists.

The blogs and open chat systems like Free Republic already "re-size" or re-edit the news, emphasizing or de-emphasizing stories and providing new information to correct perceived omissions on the part of Old Media.

Once someone can find a way (probably via a meta-search structure of some kind) to develop the primary information that is being re-edited here, Old Media will be well on its way to being useless.


24 posted on 11/08/2004 11:37:21 AM PST by Piranha
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To: Grendel9

Blogging will, of course, never replace the mainstream media. Most blogs discuss info that's reported in the mainstream media. What it adds is a meta watch dog element (a watch dog watching the watch dog). Blogs remind the mainstream media that they need to defend their sources and their reporting, and that everything is easily fact-checked. In an efficient market place of ideas, articles that are well-reported, interesting and timely will stand out regardless. So newspapers and TV stations should produce more of those, and stop fretting that many people with websites are fact-checking their articles. So what?


25 posted on 11/08/2004 11:37:44 AM PST by laurav
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To: GSlob

That's exactly the issue that has to be resolved. Once primary source material is originated outside of Old Media, the Old Media will be obsolete.

We already "re-size" or re-edit the news here. We have to originate it as well.


26 posted on 11/08/2004 11:38:56 AM PST by Piranha
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To: laurav

Once stories are originated away from the Old Media, the Old Media -- already rotted on the inside due to their years of setting the agenda with no transparency -- will collapse. Viva la revolucion!


27 posted on 11/08/2004 11:40:56 AM PST by Piranha
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To: Petronski; CWOJackson
From early afternoon to very late in the evening, those who checked in with the leading political blogs like Drudge, Wonkette, Andrew Sullivan, evote, mydd.com, Daily Kos, and others were given the distinct impression that John Kerry would win the election. The website Slate.com, well-funded and generally a responsible voice, joined in the folly.

Then they should have been HERE.....we didn't believe them.

Thank God we are not a BLOG!

28 posted on 11/08/2004 11:41:04 AM PST by Howlin (I love the smell of mandate in the morning.)
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To: Grendel9
I'll miss you most of all Scarecrow! If I see the Wizard I will tell him you are still looking for a brain.
29 posted on 11/08/2004 11:42:45 AM PST by TheForceOfOne
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To: Grendel9
Blogging As Typing, Not Journalism

verses CBS as making up the news and not real reporting.

30 posted on 11/08/2004 11:42:50 AM PST by Bommer (“ Bush met the First Lady at a BBQ? That's Love brotha!" - stainlessbanner)
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To: Grendel9
Who the hell is Eric Engberg? I've never heard of him.

On the other hand, I can name four different people who blog on NRO's The Corner.

Maybe it's just me, but who is the irrelevant one here?
31 posted on 11/08/2004 11:43:22 AM PST by A Balrog of Morgoth (With fire, sword, and stinging whip I drive the Rats in terror before me.)
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To: Grendel9

Tyrannosaurus, Apatosaurus , Plateosaurus, Dan Rather, CBS


32 posted on 11/08/2004 11:45:39 AM PST by Proud2BeRight
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To: GSlob; anniegetyourgun
There are exceptions, like uncovering Rathergate, but even that was in a sense derivative and dependent on prior Rather's MSM performance.

Quite simply put, you don't know what you're talking about.

Take a look at my join date; we've been doing this for over seven years; we don't need to mainstream press telling us what it's about.

And we certainly don't need people trying to redefine what we do.

Information origination and information spreading are two different things.

You're behind; they use to be two different things but they aren't anymore; you may think we "needed" Dan Rather's prior history to expose him, but you're wrong; what we do here is dissect news and the news reporters; you can't do that without looking at their history.

There was much discussion here on FR that very afternoon about WHERE those numbers are coming from and WHO was putting them out, and what their reasons were.

As far as I'm concerned, Drudge and NRO got suckered -- and in their haste to be "first" chose not to be accurate.

33 posted on 11/08/2004 11:46:19 AM PST by Howlin (I love the smell of mandate in the morning.)
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To: lainie

Dear Eric:

You're just pissed because we can do what you do -- and sometimes better -- without leaving the house; so, in a sense, we make YOU irrelevant.

Love,

Howlin


34 posted on 11/08/2004 11:47:21 AM PST by Howlin (I love the smell of mandate in the morning.)
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To: Piranha

Perhaps, but I can tell you that I wouldn't go to a Congressional hearing, track down the various members for quotes on an issue, try to find the real story through interviews with various interest groups and find anecdotes about people a bill might affect ... for free. That's why news doesn't originate in the blogosphere too often. Journalism is a full time job. Unless the blogosphere plans to pay it as such, good luck.


35 posted on 11/08/2004 11:47:56 AM PST by laurav
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To: Grendel9

I have never seen an industry with as much disdain for its customers than the Lamestream Media.


36 posted on 11/08/2004 11:48:03 AM PST by NeoCaveman (Don't blame me, I volunteered for Toomey)
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To: Grendel9
IOW Leave forging documents, lying to the American public, blatant bias, and fixing presidential elections to the big boys?

BTW We never believe any of your lies including exit polls. All it needs is your tag on it and we know all we need to know. You have become our play toy.
37 posted on 11/08/2004 11:49:11 AM PST by TheForceOfOne
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To: Grendel9

Be as dismissive as you like, Eric. We aren't going away no matter how many condescending articles you publish; indeed, the very fact that you published this one is indicative of our increasing power.


38 posted on 11/08/2004 11:52:35 AM PST by NittanyLion
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To: Grendel9
The public is now assaulted by news and pretend-news from many directions...

I'm just amazed that anyone from CBS could use the term "pretend-news" with a straight face...

39 posted on 11/08/2004 11:52:55 AM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Grendel9

"...thanks to the now infamous 'information superhighway.'"

I wonder if the author is sorry that he voted for Gore, seeing as how the latter invented the internet?


40 posted on 11/08/2004 11:54:26 AM PST by Sam The Eagle
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