One Utah

Friday night, Utah Now commentator Bill Allred spent his time talking about the blogosphere.  Allred’s essential assertion was the same tired “I’m a traditional, trained media person” criticism of the blogosphere - namely that bloggers aren’t real journalists and are somehow usurping the rightful territory of the trained journalist.  Well guess what - bloggers don’t claim to be real journalists. 

Like most bloggers, I criticize the media for not doing a very good job of reporting on the facts, for mindlessly repeating RNC talking points, for somehow believing that being criticized by both liberals and conservatives means they’re doing their jobs.  But seriously, Friday night, Larry King pissed away an hour on Hugh Hefner and his three whores bimbos ego boosters media props current girlfriends.  An hour of prime news time spent on some heterosexual male masturbatory bullshit rather than actually talking about something of substance - like maybe the fact that since the US invaded Iraq, all we’ve done is torture people, blow shit up and waste billions of dollars.  Hugh Hefner and his bimbos are considered newsworthy by the traditonal medai?  And we’re supposed to defer to these people as if they have any connection with reality? 

The traditional media hasn’t exactly covered itself with honor in the last 15 years.  The traditional media wasted god knows how many hours worrying themselves into a fit about blow jobs and Bill Clinton’s penis in the 90s.  (Do lets be honest - if the president getting regular blow jobs would return the US to the peace, prosperity and competent administration of the 90s, I think we’d all be more than happy to know the Presidential member was receiving regulaar loving attention from a White House intern.) 

Since the “decider guy” took office, the traditional media has been doing everything but giving him a blow job - certainly few members of the traditional media did any of the hard work of reporting the facts in response to Bushista spin in the selling of the Iraq war.  Journalists have done precious little reporting on Bush administration lies, deceptions and carefully written half-truths.

So, if people are turning away from the traditional media of newspapers and TV news and cable news and turnign to the blogs, maybe the traditional media ought to look itself in mirror and ask “Why have we been such a bunch of mindless shills, repeating right wing talking points and bland stenographers for the Republican party rather than actually reporting the facts?”

Allred made a very good point however - reading blogs doesn’t make you informed.  He’s absolutely right.  Reading the blogs doesn’t make you and informed consumer of news, voter or participant in public debate. 

My experience, and the experience of other bloghounds, suggests that the average blog reader is more informed, more voracious consumers of news than most people.  Most blog discussions assume a level of familiarity with current events, names, officials and world news.  Most bloghounds I know read multiple news sources daily - local papers, broadcast and cable news sites, as well as reading the blog commentary.  I believe most people who read blogs do so not to become informed but because they are informed already.

Blogs by themselves are not sufficient sources of news.  The lack of good reporting by traditional news media is not a result of blogs, but a result of economic forces.  Good reporters are expensive, researching dishonest politicians isn’t exactly popular work.  Reporters who ask tough, probing questions are ignored by politicians who prefer reporters who lob softball questions or report on total non-stories (remember the pointless talk about Al Gore’s clothing in 2000?). 

This entry was posted Monday, May 21st, 2007 at 11:03 am and is filed under 4th Estate (Media). You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.