Blogs are getting mainstream press attention for nailing journalists for alleged wrongs. The NY Times summed it up in a recent headline: “Resignation at CNN Shows the Growing Influence of Blogs.” (Pontificateblog.com is available)
The mainstream media is nailed, and rightfully so, when it fails to adhere to its own standards. (GotchaBlog.com is available). But bloggers are without restraints (EliteBloggers.com is available). They operate without standards and true accountability (AccountabilityBlog.com is available), which is something they should keep in mind when pointing out the failings of others.
Bloggers took a lot of credit for outing White House correspondent Jeff Gannon of Talon News. It’s amazing that Gannon was able to get access to White House briefings on a regular basis from an ostensibly conservative group that uses volunteer reporters. But Gannon (I know that’s not his real name) is taking a real drubbing over this. The New York Times reports today that his outing included public posting of his Social Security numbers. (ReallySmartMove.com is available). Gannon has hired a lawyer and I don’t blame him.
Budding investigative bloggers (HotShotBloggers.com is available) really need to read the AP stylebook, especially the section in the back of the book on libel. (BloggersBehavingBadly.com, BadBloggers.com, and OutlawBloggers.com are all available for registration)
I’m not upset with Gannon. It’s the White House that has a lot of explaining to do. (WhiteHouseBehavingBadly.com is available, too.)
Bloggers can win audiences by offering quality, straightforward, rigorous analysis (ThinkingBlog.com is available), and by taking responsibility for their mistakes or by being one-sided blame machines (BlameMachines.com is available) and blowhards (BlowhardBloggers.com is available) that play to prejudices and ignorance. But most will be ignored, lost in the noise. (HonkingHorn.com is available).
David Corn, in The Nation, has written a very good column on the use and misuse of blogs.
All the domains listed here were available for registration at the time of the post, KingofBad.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
KOB, this is both a helpful and hilarious concept (the availability of domain names) and I enjoy your incidental pithy commentary as well. Thanks and welcome! (a bit late, I know)
2 - DrPat
I also enjoyed this post, although I predict some of your available domain names will vanish as a result...
3 - Eric Olsen
I think that's the idea - it's informational, they aren't "his" domains
4 - Mike Kole
Who watches the watchdogs? has always been a vaild question for me. Bloggers are the ones watching the media, and I like that. The media clearly isn't watching itself, and I have confidence that for the near future at least, bloggers will be watching and critiquing each other.
While there may not be the same kind of accountability in blogs as for the press, there is still a reputation to have or not have. Blogs that are found to be largely erroneous will come to be ignored as a news source. There is real accountablility in that bloggers that libel will find their way to court.
5 - Angela Chen Shui
You are so baaahhhd, king of bad! Hilarious!
6 - edward przydzial
Comment 42 posted by edward przydzial on February 17, 2005 09:28 PM:
michael jackson is a pedaphile.
period.
face the facts your idol is an idiot.
a child molesting freak.
fact.
7 - Anne
Fortunately for the bloggers, what was posted about Gannon is backed up by raw data. It's fact. However, I wholeheartedly welcome him filing suit. What a fun trial that will be, as the whole story unravels and we learn who gave him governmental secrets about Plame and shock and awe. I'll pop the popcorn!
Chances are, though, Gannon/Guckert will be dead before the inked time-stamp on his legal complaint has time to dry.
8 - Marc
"Fortunately for the bloggers, what was posted about Gannon is backed up by raw data."
Like what data? The data that said their was a security breech? Sorry "Gannon" by using a daily pass didn't meet the requirement for a background check.
Or the data that he obtained "classified material"
So that is BS also, never happened.
9 - Temple Stark
Those blinkers you're wearing worn out Marc?
I too welcome the inquiry of blogs as fact-checkers for journalism. Very much so. Trouble is no one ever posts when they DON'T find anything they question. The result is an overall negative effect, which only reinforces many bloggers perception of the media.
Isn't that what real media is accused of - focusing on the negative too much?
10 - David Flanagan
KoB,
Excellent post. I loved the domain name concept you used throughout the post. I posted my own thoughts regarding the Blogosphere's growing influence, with the conclusion that the swarm which forced Jordan to resign was a good call on the part of bloggers.
I do think we have to be somewhat concerned about this because, as Blogs grow in influence, we might see the advent of "synthetic swarms" designed to bring journalists in the MSM down just because they are disliked by one side or another. Bill O'Reilly, obviously, has been a target for a while and while I don't think Fox would ever cut him loose, he's managed to get himself in and out of trouble a couple of times at least.
I think it will be interesting to see what happens and what checks and balances we form here in the Blogosphere to counter bogus swarms. Perhaps sites like Blogcritics will become a focal point for bloggers to discuss such issues (BloggersUN.com is still available ;-).
Thanks,
David
11 - RJ
Brit Hume is now a target as well...
12 - Dave Nalle
BTW, elitebloggers.com is no longer available. I registered it independent of this article a few months ago, then discovered this article when doing a google search to see if the domain was showing up in google yet.
It's going to be the home of a new invitation-only group blog I'm developing. Feel free to drop by and check it out at EliteBloggers.
Dave