This morning on the Huffington Post Jay Rosen muses about Why The Mainsteam Media Sucks, and comes to the conclusion that most journalists have not yet digested that the dynamic between writer and reader has fundamentally changed.
Personally, I also think the media is frustrated by the fact that a disparate group of bloggers like those who attending Yearly Kos last weekend can practically will a movement into being, and start mind-bending politicians and government alike. They've even changed the name of the convention to "Netroots Nation" for 2008.
The mainstream media obviously have more access to news "as it happens" because they are paid to go watch it happen. But they're severely limited in being able to freely anaylze what they've seen and heard. Americans are so used to being spoon-fed their media that they are lazy about drawing conclusions...so much so that the blogosphere has invented a crucial role in our public discourse. Bloggers have become the interpreters and the arbitors of the political realm.
This weekend Helen Thomas derided the mainstream media in an interview on CNN. She accuses them of deadly silence during the march to the current Iraq war. I couldn't agree more. Even the most liberal journalists seemed to be goose-stepping with President Bush right off the edge of sanity, not even questioning the motives for the war until it failed.
The blogosphere, on the other hand, was all over it. Mainstream media could learn a few things about resisting conventional thinking, and bloggers are great teachers.
The big daily newspaper in Des Moines and Iowa (the cranky old Register) is actually a product of corporate greed. It is owned by an out-of-state corporation (Gannett) and emphasizes business news over the news and concerns of local communities. For example, if it had really been concerned about the development of the Jordan Creek Town Center a few years ago, the Register would have endeavoured to cover the negative aspects--instead it was more than just a cheerleader covering the grand opening.
Those who are looking for a liberal voice (and who enjoy reading comments that take salvos at the once-great Register) should read Des Moines Cityview each Wednesday or Thursday. It's a free weekly publication available at local supermarkets. I've read it for years and enjoy it. (And I am not exactly a so-called bleeding heart liberal.)
Posted by: Braniff | August 14, 2007 2:21 PM | Permalink to Comment