Update (1/7): Very nice. Townhall.com published this op-ed.
Envy, an emotion we all face from time to time, is defined as “a feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another.”
As long as other people have more of what we want — material possessions, influence, charm, good looks, business acumen, etc., the old green-eyed monster lurks. While most of us try to keep envy in check, some display it in newspapers like the Star Tribune for all to see.
In a most vulgar display of blog, class and “male appendage” envy, Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman had the blogosphere asking in unison, “Where was this guy’s editor?”
In a December 29 column/rant, he lambasted Power Line bloggers Scott Johnson and John Hinderaker in a meandering, juvenile and over-the-top screed. Named TIME Magazine’s “Blog of the Year,” Power Line was at the forefront of “Rathergate,” the scandal in which CBS’s and Dan Rather’s sloppy research (and forged memos) was embarrassingly revealed.
Coleman’s envy-tinged ire apparently stemmed from Power Line’s criticism of some of his work. Among other things, he accused the bloggers of being political operatives who received fat checks for fact checks. Charging them with “pursuing a right-wing agenda cooked up in conservative think tanks funded by millionaire power brokers,” Coleman implied that their nicknames might be compensation for certain…shortcomings:
If you read Powerline, you know them better by their fantasy names, Big Trunk (that’s Johnson) and Hind Rocket (Hinderaker). I will leave it to the appropriate professionals to determine what they are compensating for, but they have received enormous attention from the despised Mainstream Media and deserve more.
That a man Coleman’s age — based on his white-haired headshot — is so inept at controlling his resentment could almost be excused if the piece had been clever. But unrestrained nonsense (played straight) containing false statements published in a mainstream newspaper seemingly devoid of editorial oversight is not clever.
Coleman (and the Star Tribune) has received far more attention than he deserves, which may be the method behind his begrudging madness. “Both Coleman and the PL [Power Line] crew live in the same city and both have their work accessible on the Internet. Yet Power Line was able to have a national effect and get their message across in a way that Coleman could only dream about,” wrote blogger Joe Carter of Evangelical Outpost.
So why another article about Coleman? Exposing his misplaced tirade may serve as a lesson to like-minded journalists whose antipathy toward the dynamic, open-sourced and self-editing collective known as the blogosphere, teeming with citizen-journalists, is an unbecoming, unproductive and player-hating way to go through life.
Nasty columnists won’t impede the blogosphere’s growth, either. Its effectiveness and speed in fact-checking the media is far-reaching and unstoppable. After Coleman’s hit piece was published, for example, numerous blog posts (with links to others) sprang up, dissecting, eviscerating and pulverizing it. All before lunch.
Calling Power Line the “biggest link in a daisy chain of right-wing blogs that is assaulting the Mainstream Media,” Coleman claimed that the purpose of journalism is to serve the “downtrodden.” Who are they? Aren’t journalists supposed to serve all by seeking truth? Power Line’s Scott Johnson contacted Coleman’s editor at the Star Tribune to find out:
[A]ccording to the editor, Coleman’s false assertion that he didn’t know and we didn’t say whether we might be on the take from some campaign, political party or anonymous benefactor, appeared to violate no Star Tribune standard. In his meeting with Coleman after my discussion with the editor yesterday morning, Coleman had told the editor that he “assumed” we received a stipend from the Claremont Institute….I asked the editor what standards Coleman’s column was subject to at the Star Tribune. He said he didn’t know; he would have to research the answer to that question and get back to me.
We’ll wait patiently for his answer.
Newspaper readers critical of stories were once relegated to “Letters to the Editor” corners with no guarantee that editors actually read them. Those days are gone with the dinosaurs. Readers’ opinions can no longer be tossed aside. Some blogs rival online newspaper readership, and anyone with an Internet connection and decent writing and research skills can compose continuous letters to the editor for an audience of thousands. Bloggers are doctors, lawyers, professors, police officers, pastors, writers, stay-at-home mothers and even guys in pajamas in their living rooms, and their online presence serves notice that shoddy research and reporting will not go unchallenged.
In Christopher Marlowe’s famous Doctor Faustus, envy is portrayed as an old man who says, “I am Envy. I cannot read and therefore wish all books burned.”
Perhaps Nick Coleman wishes the same about blogs.
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Have you been following the Nick Coleman buzz around the blogosphere? If you’ve written a post, let me know so I can link to it. Check out these links:
Power Line’s latest post on Nick Coleman, “Fractured Fairy Tales.”
Scott Johnson documents his conversation with Coleman’s editor in, “Who Was That Masked Man?” Here’s a plus: Because of Coleman’s outrageous column, the Star Tribune loses at least one advertiser.
“A Columnist Nips at Our Ankles,” Power Line’s first response to Coleman’s column on December 29.
Joe Carter’s “Megaphones Without Oversight.”
I read through the Powerline posts, and find it interesting that they’ve compiled a list of 4 or 5 of Coleman’s defamatory comments, about which they’re requesting the newspaper print “retractions.” When was the last time anyone saw a retraction? The lingo went from retraction to “correction” to “clarification,” which actually implies no factual error at all!
Coleman’s editor telling the Powerline guy that the screw-ups fell within the margin of “columnist privilege” was a hoot, too. We should all be so privileged!
Comment by Katy Raymond — 01.06.05 @ 7:42 am
Wow, I guess I should start reading Powerline, if this Nick Colemam fellow is so determined to make them into pariahs, they must be saying something the mainstream media doesn’t want people to hear.
Comment by Heather — 01.06.05 @ 8:13 am
The paper has decided to stand by Coleman, and say he has done no wrong by their standards
Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 01.06.05 @ 8:35 am
But Heaven help us all if someone says something that little Nicky doesn’t like. Did you see TKS (formerly the Kerry Spot)? http://www.nationalreview.com/kerry/kerry200501051130.asp is the link to the exchange.
Comment by LawWife — 01.06.05 @ 9:29 am
Back when I lived in Minnesota I used to read “news” in the Tribune that I felt should have been on the editorial page. It was sooo slanted. The MSM has had a monopoly for a long time. It must be rather irritating to them to have other options such as blogs eroding their influence. Coleman used to be a funny, clever writer. Now he just sounds like a bitter, mean-spirited old man.
Comment by Evon Bachaus — 01.06.05 @ 9:41 am
Here’s a plus: Because of Coleman’s outrageous column, the Star Tribune loses at least one editor.
I believe you meant “advertiser” here rather than “editor” - specifically, the president of the bank that employs one of the PL guys stood up for his employee, and declared that his company would no longer advertise in a paper that encourages its readers not to do business with them.
Comment by Scott McClare — 01.06.05 @ 10:51 am
I actually sent a letter to his editor asking that he move forward on the advanced research training seminar being held at the local university. Coleman could use the refresher and the CEUs. I encouraged to not only enroll Coleman but a few of his other reporters might benefit also. All T-I-C though.
Comment by cooper — 01.06.05 @ 10:59 am
Thanks for the typo alert, Scott.
Comment by LB — 01.06.05 @ 11:26 am
I’m just catching up on this now. What a story, I like your take on it. Good writing.
thanks.
Comment by Ingrid — 01.06.05 @ 11:49 am
There’s some stuff at Meryl Yourish’s blog about this. And check the comments. One interesting fact - Coleman went to the same college as Rachel Corrie did (you remember - the gal who tried to stop that Israeli bulldozer?). Another fact - he graduated with BA in Journalism in 2003. Very much wet behind his ear and it really shows just how good his college education is.
Comment by Lola — 01.06.05 @ 3:23 pm
Ohhh . . . correction - I was talking about Pein (who wrote an article in CJR about this Rather Incident). So, replace Coleman with Pein.
Comment by Lola — 01.06.05 @ 3:25 pm
How short is Nick’s Powertool?
Certainly a ‘man’ who got his job with help from his step-mommy is “compensating for” something.
Comment by DANEgerus — 01.06.05 @ 6:21 pm
Hey La Shawn, we wrote about it here:
http://ericragle.com/2005/01/05/bitterness-creeps-in/
Comment by Rev. Eric — 01.06.05 @ 7:48 pm
Bitterness Creeps In
Now usually I hate to get mixed up in other people’s affairs, but I must say that Nick Coleman of Minnesota’s Star Tribune has reached a new low in personal dignity.
His scathing review of Powerline Blog, a blog ran by a couple of “Joe Schmoes” …
Trackback by Evangelical Underground — 01.06.05 @ 7:51 pm
More N**K C*****N advertisment
La Shawn’s writing about the guy that dissed Powerline in an Op-ed. I still feel the same way about this as I did a few days ago. Ignore him and he’ll go away….
Trackback by Radio Brian Scott — 01.06.05 @ 10:12 pm
I guess I’m not understanding what the big deal is..I live in Minneapolis and read the Strib daily and Nick Coleman’s column as well. He’s a columnist and paid to express an opinion. Anyone that has a blog can do the same. So he doesn’t care for that particular blog. Big Whoop.
He can insinuate all he wants. It’s a column, not a factual article.
And besides, the conservative leaning folk don’t trust the mainstream media ANYWAY, so why give him the uncessary pub.
Just my 14 cents.
Comment by Tiffany in Mpls — 01.06.05 @ 11:10 pm
It shouldn’t be surprising that this guy wrote what he did. For how long?? has the mainstream media tried to control our little minds with their leftist propaganda?? and we still haven’t got their message yet??
Well, like Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and the rest of the leftist gang, now, they are finding to their horror that they actually have some competition for the mind of the marketplace. And they don’t seem to like it very much. But, instead of showing why they are right (they’re not), they decide to attack and smear. So what else is new?
Comment by Carl Schwartz — 01.07.05 @ 12:22 am
Outtakes01.05.07
A Wink and a Nudge Across the Border The Mexico Foreign ministry doesn’t condone its citizens illegally immigrating to the U.S. But if they do then they should add salt to water to avoid dehydration and wear light clothing to…
Trackback by the evangelical outpost — 01.07.05 @ 12:52 pm
La Shawn, congrats on your Townhall column yesterday regarding Mr. Blog Envy
Joe Carter will have to revise his estimates on total # of captured eyeballs 
Too bad your smiling face was missing
Comment by Andy — 01.08.05 @ 10:08 am
Thank you, Andy. As a guest columnist, I don’t get a headshot. I’ll have one up there one day, I predict…
Comment by La Shawn — 01.08.05 @ 10:29 am
Great article and a great post. Coleman’s umbrage can be corrected by introspect, but that won’t happen. It’s up to bloggers to keep their feet to the fire in the hope of getting objective and honest journalism from the MSM. Until then keep up the great work and hold them accountable.
Comment by Jack — 01.08.05 @ 2:02 pm
Come On, Ride the Train!
La Shawn Barber has a couple must-read posts today.
The first is a reprint of a column published at TownHall.com (What? NRO and TownHall in the same month period? That’s too hot!) wherein she weighs in on the Powerline/Nick Coleman scuffle.
Then…
Trackback by The Sundries Shack — 01.08.05 @ 3:00 pm
La Shawn: I’ve been enjoying your blog ever since I first ran across your spirited deconstruction of Dan Rather, but I must say — quoting Marlowe’s Faustus in regard to Nick Coleman was genius.
Comment by Ted Seay — 01.09.05 @ 1:55 am
CBS Ousts Four Staffers Following Memogate (FOX NEWS)
CBS ousts four employees after independent investigation into disputed National Guard memo story. Details soon. (CNN)
I guess this is just in.
Comment by Renee — 01.10.05 @ 10:19 am
Sorry wrong post
Comment by Renee — 01.10.05 @ 10:20 am