But like all new “pair o’ dimes”, it’ll take a while for people to get used to the currency. Now anyone who has something to say, can say it to one and all. They can do so with relative ease and for next to nothing, other than the time and effort to slap one together.

It’s plain to see that the fear & loathing is beginning to set in with the establishment, in that blogs are not a fad, least of all a digital pet rock. Sure lots of people will take a swing at it, and many will drop out — giving up at least the hope of making it to the big time. But the rest will maintain one, either professionally or as a hobby of sorts.

Nevertheless, the simple fact is that the blogosphere has a long tail which wields its weight on an order of magnitude that the MSM could never ever compete against. The MSM is being eclisped and there’s no turning back.

If you haven’t heard of the Power law distributions, Clay Shirky has a post as it relates to the blogosphere. If it’s true that thousands of blogs are being started everyday, well… http://www.shirky.com/writings/powerlaw_weblog.html

As for the blogs that will gain any measure of standing, it will be the writers who exercise intellectual honesty who will prevail – that’s not to say they are right/correct all of the time. What I said about sites like Kos and Atrios stand.
See http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2003/03/Intellectualhonesty.shtml

The old cliche about the Guttenberg Press is very apt. It won’t be long before there are more webpages than all of the printed material in the history of man. And yes we’re all in for a ride like never before. So put on your brave face

You have a good point that the blogosphere can be a tool for good. I don’t want to seem too enamored with pop culture, but the key line in a certain superhero series is, “…With great power there must come great responsibility.”

The problem is that not everyone out there blogging is a “superhero” who understands this. God gives good gifts to us, but isn’t it sad that His greatest gifts are the one so thoroughly corrupted by fallen men?

We in the blogosphere are not all pure as the driven snow. We can hope that we will always understand the power of a blog swarm and what it can do to the focus of that swarm, but I am not so sure that fallen men will not use that power for their own craven purposes. We all think how great Google is, but even now people are using Google as a way of discriminating against other people. The Christian blogger who espouses a biblical ideal not admired by people who do not understand Christianity can find the very words of his blog coming back against him as a job dismissal (for hazy reasons, of course) or forced career stagnation. That this form of “Google persecution” exists now should warn us of how easily a blog swarm in the future can be organized to take good people down.

Eason Jordan won the Charles Weltner Freedom of Information Award in 2001.

That’s right, boys and girls. The man who can have the tape released but refuses won a Freedom of Information Award. Who knew there even was such a thing. Comical that Eason Jordan won the first one, no?

Joseph Marshall:

Make a small note of this, please: When making offhand remarks, DO NOT accuse the American military of murdering journalists without evidence. But then, it wouldn’t be much of an ‘off hand’ remark.

La Shawn:

My first message, but have read for a long time. You have rocked for a long time.

“Sheeez. Let’s see. 1) Big media exec makes some kind of remarks at big meeting of intl poobahs. 2) attendee of poobah meeting blogs his memory of remarks as inflammatory and mentions US Congressman challenging big media exec. 3) Other blogs take up the charge, wanting to know if BME actually slandered the military and/or if BME had any evidence or proof to back up charges.

4) Inflammatory charges determined to have been videotaped. Blogs suggest showing of tape to determine truth.

5) BME pays no attention. 6) Blog swarm ensues. 7) BME finally comes out of hole [part-way] and claims doesn’t see shadow. Claims: a) didn’t make inflammatory remarks; or b) retracted inflammatory remarks; or c) was taken out of context; or d) was misunderstood; or e) didn’t mean inflammatory remarks; or f)all of the above. Tape Of Truth not released. No explanation.

MSM waits for “tempest-in-a-teacup story” to go away. 9) blog swarm continues. Demands for release of Tape of Truth continue. 10) BME and MSM continue to ignore possible story of decade, if true. 11) blog swarm, instead of abating, continues to grow, approaching Category 5. Possibility of diminution with release of Tape Of Truth which would surely (??) vindicate BME.

12) MSM grudgingly, in most instances, barely takes up story. REALLY BIG MSM ignores story entirely with exception of Kurtz boot-licking, (oops) fawning, (oops) cautious explanatory piece.

13) Blog swarm approaches Category 6. MSM advised to run down to Home Depot to buy plywood for windows, etc.

14 (hypothesis) BME bosses get to see Tape Of Truth. Portable CPR machines put to heavy use. Light Dawns.

15) BME resigns “for good of corporarion.”

16) Sliming of Blogs begins for falsely driving out Misunderstood Man Of Distinguished Career for blindly partisan reasons. Questions arise at DailyKos, MyDD, and DU why no blog swarm on practically unknown journalist Gannon.

Yep. Story line seems about right.”

Guess what? That was the FBI leaking Jewell’s name to MSM in order to hang him by public opinion since what they had was pure conjecture, and very little circumstantial evidence. This was the FBI run by Freeh, who with Janet Reno and Gorelicker did much to undermine truth & justice to advance the Clintonista cause.

Now if the blogosphere was around then and say 5 – 10% of Americans ar familiar to one degree or another with blogs, I wonder, when one extrapolates that ratio to the throngs in attendance how differently that whole story might had been spun? For every eyewitness that the FBI ignored or tried to shout down, how many would have turned to the net to out the truth?

I remember back in the Fall of ‘87 when a black co-worker was killed by a white Dallas cop. It’s been so long that the finer details are fogged, but here goes to the best of my recollection:

Allegedly because the cop thot the dude was going to pull a gun on him, over a dispute about expired tags on his parked car at an apartment complex.

The car wasn’t even being driven because of needing repairs and hence the expired tags. At the time, tags weren’t based on birthdays and the guy figured why register it when it would take a while to get it back on the road.

Anyway, in spite of what witnesses had to say, the poor guy’s — I can’t even recall his name now — motives and character was smeared and the cop “vindicated”.

However, the background truth was ignored totally and the MSM refused to give credence to the naysayers.

That same cop, while off-duty had attended a keg-party the weekend before, and became involved in an altercation with the victim over a girl that they were both interested in. I wasn’t there, but the party was hosted by another co-worker, and a bunch of my colleagues were there to witness the chest-thumping and shoving. It seemed like things cooled off and everyone forgot about it until later.

I’d like to think justice would have been served had the blogosphere been around then. As far as I know, that cop is still on the force and literally got away with murder. And he did so because those who knew the background didn’t have a voice.

Sisyphean Musings says we might get to see the video sooner…or later. I think Tim might be on to something with his analysis. Be sure to check out his site….

when will journalists/newspersons be unbiased and HONEST?? when will our politicians, democrats AND republicans, represent us honestly? we vote for someone who we think represents our views then he/she turns around and does whatever he/she wants–or maybe succumbs to some inside pressure instead of standing up for their beliefs….

ps, pray for our troops!

What is the Org structure of CNN — who did Jordan work for (his boss), and who did THAT guy work for?

If shareholders were complaining, or advertisers (like General Mills, to whom I complained), who would they have talked to?

Good luck on converage.

The Blog Swarm will be most powerful when combined with an advertising ban assault.

Jordan could have avoided …

There is no real self-correcting of the blogosphere since the Left does not listen to the correction of the Right and vice versa.

While your admiration for human nature to go down the path of “The Truth will out,” is nice, I believe that faith to be misplaced. Very little was learned from the media assassination of Richard Jewell and I suspect that Mr. Jewell’s life since then has not been peaches and cream.

Again, we should all be very careful that we do not use this new media form to do to others what the MSM did to Richard Jewell.