A writer at the American Prospect briefly mentioned me in her tirade against conservative bloggers. I was less concerned about what she said and more about the fact she didn’t link to my blog. After I e-mailed her, pointing out the oversight, she rectified the matter. I encouraged her to write about me as often as she liked because her readers need to know that outspoken conservative Christians, who happen to be black, exist.
I have only two requests: Don’t libel me and do link to me. I have no substantive commentary on Blogged Down, but if you do, by all means share it with us. Michelle Malkin links to reactions from others. Kevin Drum agrees with the article: conservative bloggers are bad. (Blackfive was interviewed for the article.)
I’m excited about blogging at the high traffic Vodkapundit next week. Stephen Green asked me to guest-blog while he’s on holiday with his lovely wife. Did I mention that Stephen was cool?
Note: If you’ve sent e-mail in the past few days, I will try my best to respond. In light of the new e-mail policy, many readers won’t hear from me, I’m sad to say. Too many e-mails and obligations, and too little time.
Update (9:46 p.m.): But I read every e-mail I receive!
The adage used to be, “I don’t care what you say about me as long as you spell my name right.” Now it’s, “I don’t care what you say as long as you link to my blog!”
Comment by Jeff Harrell — 03.08.05 @ 11:32 am
That’s exactly right, Jeff! When Kevin Drum blogged about the dearth of A-list female bloggers, he mentioned me. I dedicated a whole post to the irony of his non-linkage. He eventually did.
Comment by La Shawn — 03.08.05 @ 11:36 am
Congrats on guest-hosting Vodkapundit. That really is great.
Comment by Renee — 03.08.05 @ 11:40 am
Some problems with Frake-Ruta’s analysis of bloggers compared to journalists:
Her distinctions between “bloggers” and “journalists” gets fuzzy. Many of the characteristics F-R uses to characterize the two are the same for both. While F-R states that most bloggers do not do original reporting or double check information for accuracy, its is becoming more and more apparent that most journalists also do not do original reporting or double check information for accuracy.
Bloggers did not force Guckert, Jordan or Eason or anyone else to resign any more than journalists force anyone to resign. Bloogers may have focused attention on the conduct or misconduct of various people who then resigned because of effects of their misdoings.
Shock of shocks – many bloggers are conservatives, right wingers, capitalists, etc. Most clearly disclose and express their biases or beliefs. “Journalists”, on the other hand are highly disproportionately liberal, left wingers, socialists, etc., who, instead of disclosing their biases, claim to be unbiased and impartial when they are not, frequently writing editorials disguised (thinly) as “news”.
The product of bloggers is quickly subject to challenge from all comers, while the work of journalists in MSM, more appropriately called “Old News” is typically defended by their papers, magazines, etc. long after it becomes apparent that the journalist piece was inaccurate and wrong.
Denis C. Monahan
Comment by Denis C. Monahan — 03.08.05 @ 11:57 am
LOL, La Shawn, you’ve been pegged as part of the VRWC.
Most insteresting spin of the column:
“But there’s another a key difference between the effort against Gannon and conservative blog firestorms: The targets of the liberal blogosphere are conservative activists; the target of the conservative blogosphere is the free and independent press itself, just as it has been for conservative activists since the ’60s.
[SNIP]
But unlike traditional news outlets, right-wing blogs openly shill, fund raise, plot, and organize massive activist campaigns on behalf of partisan institutions and constituencies; they also increasingly provide cover for professional operatives to conduct traditional politics by other means — including campaigning against the established media. And instead of taking these bloggers for the political activists they are, all too often the established press has accepted their claims of being a new form of journalism. This will have to change — or it will prove serious journalism’s undoing.”
But when I put on my MSM/DNC filters, I see (restated in bold):
“But there’s another a key difference between the effort against Gannon and conservative blog firestorms: The targets of the conservative blogosphere are the leftist activists; the target of the liberal blogosphere is the free and independent public itself, just as it has been for leftist activists since the ’60s.
[SNIP]
But unlike traditional (pre-60s) news outlets, left-wing blogs covertly shill, fund raise, plot, and organize massive activist campaigns on behalf of partisan institutions and constituencies; they also increasingly provide cover for professional operatives to conduct subversive politics by other means — including campaigning against the established morals & values. And instead of taking these bloggers for the political activists they are, all too often the established press has dismissed their claims of being a new form of journalism. This will have to change — or it will prove serious journalism’s undoing.”
And the truth is?
Comment by Andy — 03.08.05 @ 12:12 pm
Powerline’s got Franke-Ruta all figured out.
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/2005_03.php#009788
Turns out that not only is her article almost devoid of any meaningful analysis, but, and hold your breath, SHE’S a political animal too!
“he was a senior writer at The Washington City Paper, a free, left-wing “alternative weekly newspaper.” So what? Her piece should be judged on the merits of what she said about the Eason Jordan affair and how well bloggers performed during it. The only problem is that she said nothing about these matters.”
http://gadflyer.com/writers/writer.php?WriterID=120
Comment by Darius Ritchie — 03.08.05 @ 12:54 pm
Nancy Soderberg Hopes We Fail
I am still in shock about the revelation in the update on my previous post about what Nancy Soderberg said. I probably shouldn’t be by now, but I am. The hateful anti-American rhetoric of the left is amazing, and even more so because it’s not some …
Trackback by Myopic Zeal — 03.08.05 @ 12:55 pm
I missed a closing </em> after the 1st “liberal”…
Comment by Andy — 03.08.05 @ 1:05 pm
I’ll look for your posts on Vodkapundit.
Comment by Rod Stanton — 03.08.05 @ 1:30 pm
Hey LaShawn,
As a new blogger I’m learning the truth of what you are saying.
BTW - I do have a link to you - as you are one of my favorite bloggers!
- Louie
Comment by Louie Marsh — 03.08.05 @ 1:33 pm
See, La Shawn, people do care about what you think. Sometimes I think I should blog, too. Being a card carrying member of the vast right wing conspiracy, I have another job. Lunch hour blogging doesn’t count for much compared to you and Michele and Scott and …
Comment by Pat'sRick© — 03.08.05 @ 1:36 pm
Andy,
How did you get the greater than and less than symbol to appear?
Comment by Baklava — 03.08.05 @ 2:11 pm
Good question!
Once again, liberals say “do as I say, not as I do”….Once again, they advocate they speak for the general public, but they don’t. They’re lying hypocrites.
Comment by Dan — 03.08.05 @ 2:24 pm
Baklava.
You can use the HTML code for it. It’s and ampersand followed immediately (with no space) by gt; or lt; (g = greater, l = less).
For example: < or >
MZ.
Comment by Myopic Zeal — 03.08.05 @ 2:52 pm
She’s disingenuous when she states that the Rather /Jordan affairs were about serious mistakes but the Gannon business was about FRAUD.It’s hard to think of the TANG paapers as anything but fraud.What worried me about the fraud was CBS seemed to be ignoring it.She may have gone to Harvard,but she certainly didn’t take very many intellectually challenging courses.
Comment by lincoln — 03.08.05 @ 3:22 pm
>
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Comment by Baklava — 03.08.05 @ 3:46 pm
>
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Comment by Baklava — 03.08.05 @ 3:47 pm
Just Like the Matrix
It’s man against machine. The machines are hunting for us, and will deliver a fatal payload of spam when they catch us. InstantReplay has joined the blogospheric war against email address-harvesting bots by adding a SpamPoison button. Sexy, isn’t it?…
Trackback by InstantReplay — 03.08.05 @ 4:13 pm
No offense to anybody and I’m sure this probably breaks all kinds of rules of etiquette, but if some site out there happens to link to mine for some reason, and it’s a site which is of a nature I don’t want to assist in spreading, I ain’t linkin’.
I’ve speant the last 5 years gaining the trust of my listeners so that they know if I send them somewhere it’s because I think it’s a good place for them to go, or if I recommend a product I actually do believe in it. (I am blessed with a great boss who doesn’t insist any of us endorse anything which we are in opposition to for whatever valid reason.) I have a limited number of links on my site that I am slowly adding to. I try really hard to avoid questionable stuff, though sometimes you’ve got the link beyond the link that catches up to you.
If I link to a site, it’s because of the site or particular topic linked, not because I owe them a favor.
Comment by Mark La Roi — 03.08.05 @ 7:16 pm
Baklava, you can get any unicode characters to appear by using the approriate “&2+ characters;” combination. If you wanted to, you could write in braille. All the entity codes can be found at
http://www.unicode.org/charts/
Comment by Andy — 03.08.05 @ 7:18 pm
Andy, you sexy nerd you.
Good thing my gf avoids conservative blogs. Other than mine, that is…
Comment by SCSIwuzzy — 03.08.05 @ 9:01 pm
La Shawn:
I consider myself blessed because you replied to an e-mail that I sent you. I still consider you my Christian blogger role model.
As for the hit piece written by Garance Franke-Ruta, my rebuttal is too long for your feedback section. However, I have submitted my rebuttal to Ankle Biting Pundits for possible publication there. Of course, I give you the hat tip.
L’Chaim!
(P.S. My rebuttal to Garance Franke-Ruta is up on my own blog.)
Comment by Dodo David — 03.08.05 @ 9:41 pm
La Shawn, I just hope you can retain your conservative christen values over at that libertarian ‘party’ site. Regardless of what Stephen claims, you don’t need to be under the influence to do good blogging.
Comment by Jim R — 03.08.05 @ 9:50 pm
Thanks, David. I must read your rebuttal!
Jim - I think the drinking stuff is just schtick. But never fear. Speaking of drinking, next Friday I will be sober 8 years.
Comment by La Shawn — 03.08.05 @ 10:06 pm
La Shawn, Your fingernails ran screechingly over the blackboard when you wrote “outspoken Conservative Christians, who happen to be black….” Speaking on behalf of your parents (who[m] I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting) you don’t HAPPEN to be black. You are black by design. Mom and Pop probably worked damn hard to make you black. So please don’t demean them by using that sissy verbal expression ‘happen to be black.’ Either ‘be black’ or get back. ‘Happen to be’ may be an expression you could use for poker games and lotteries, but your being and essence don’t happen to be!
All the best. Great blog otherwise.
Comment by Sid — 03.08.05 @ 10:32 pm
OK. I guess.
Comment by La Shawn — 03.08.05 @ 10:41 pm
hmmmm. somebody’s going to move up in the drinking order on the site. many congrats.
Comment by Chris Roberts — 03.08.05 @ 11:43 pm
La Shawn,
Question regarding email verses posting:
Is it easier for you, if we have updated information on something you posted about (maybe months or weeks ago), to send in an email or find the old post and add a comment to it?
Comment by Renee — 03.09.05 @ 7:55 am
Send an e-mail, Renee.
Comment by La Shawn — 03.09.05 @ 8:06 am
La Shawn
Congrats on 8 years! I hope you have 88 more!
Great Blog…I come to it every day now…and you make a lot of sense. RUN FOR OFFICE! I’ll vote for you for Pres!
Dan
Comment by Dan — 03.09.05 @ 8:46 am
I agree with you completely, LaShawn. It isn’t an issue for me, since my readership is very small. But I do make it a point to link to whomever it is I’m writing about, directly to a post or to the blog in general. I can’t see what is so difficult about that concept.
Comment by Robbie — 03.09.05 @ 11:18 am
My parents tried real hard to make me white, but despite all my mother’s groaning and straining and my father’s bedside cheerleading, I still came out rather pinkish. It just sorta happened that way, without them having much control over the whole deal. Just like Popeye, I yam what I yam, and that’s all that I yam.
Comment by RedBeard — 03.09.05 @ 11:23 am
Sorry, forgot to direct that post to Sid. With a wink, of course.
Comment by RedBeard — 03.09.05 @ 11:28 am
LaShawn, in response to Sid’s comment, I think you do “happen to be.” I happen to be white. My parents had no choice in the matter. I doubt if yours had any either. Love your blog.
Comment by Ol' BC — 03.09.05 @ 1:06 pm
More TAP
Via La Shawn Barber we offer this review of the TAP piece from Kevin Drum. Sample quote on the conservative blogosphere: “Peek underneath the rock and it’s not a pretty sight.” Go read, enjoy. Meanwhile, Powerline notes that the article…
Trackback by Mudville Gazette — 03.09.05 @ 5:46 pm
8 years? Very well done! May God keep you in ALL the rest!
Comment by Mark La Roi — 03.09.05 @ 6:24 pm
LaShawn, I’ve been out drinking with Stephen … its no act.
Comment by Robin Roberts — 03.12.05 @ 3:13 am
Linking
One thing I want to note about what La Shawn’s email policy.
Trackback by Nemec Blog — 03.12.05 @ 6:40 am