« Extensive Bribery by Saddam included UNSC Member Nations | Main | Bin Laden in Iran? »
Are You a Polarized Blogger?
The U.S. presidential campaign between George W. Bush and John Kerry has prompted a frenzy of gossip and conspiracy theories among Internet bloggers, hybrid online sites that blend news, gossip and opinion. ... "Blogs probably pretty accurately reflect the level of polarization and paranoia and frustration among everyday Americans that the entire campaign reflects," said Vanity Fair media critic Michael Wolff, characterizing the new form of overtly-biased journalism as "the voice of the mob." [more]
Posted by tim at October 8, 2004 12:44 PM
Comments
It's tough to report and not have an opinion. But, you can have a poltical philosophy that truth and honor are noble and come before a party's win. Some people are partisans, but hold their leaders to a higher standard - even prefering they lose than soil the reputation of the party by serving without honor. That's why I think partisans can be as reliable a source of truth driven news as anyone else.
The truth is there's nobody without a horse in the race. We aren't talking about the local county fair and some watermelon eating contest. This is hardball real-life politics. The wrong guy wins, your mom, dad, brother or sister may die for it. And, you have to have an opinion because you are in the know. If you don't, you're a moron.
Honest people can disagree on the solution. The difference in modern politics, and I blame the Soviet influence in our nation, is the idea that lying to achieve a political goal is noble. It's rank. And, should be a crime punishable by public shame, never to be given truth again. Once a reporter does more than make an honest mistake, but actually goes out to report slant for their candidate's benefit, you have to distrust anything they say from that moment on.
And, yet we don't We continue to hope against hope that openly partisan rabid liars will change their spots and report something to us that isn't propaganda. They trip us up with truth every once in a while, or even for weeks on end. But, in the end, pay attention to the stories right before an election and you'll see who has a horse in the race, and how much they are willing to stretch or slaughter the truth for their cause.
Posted by: JasonN at October 10, 2004 9:47 PM
Site map