That Slippery Slope
Feb 2nd, 2006 at 8:55 pm by Susie
Steve Clemons writes about blogger conference calls, and wonders aloud where the lines are between bloggers and the politicians. It’s an important topic, and one of those discussions it’s difficult to have. (Do check out the comments, too.)
The thing is, we’re going to have to figure out something, if only to protect ourselves legally. (I talked to someone last night who runs an news-aggregator site, and he’s just been threatened with a libel suit unless he removes certain posts.)
Talking about it can’t hurt. I suspect the reaction in the upper blogosphere will range from disdain to outright attacks, but it’s time to at least broach the subject.
Susie, sorry to bust in on your thread like this, but sent you a post two days ago and haven’t heard back. Would love for you to participate in my next column. Please drop me a line.
Per the above, and at the risk of sounding super cynical, wait’ll you see the scandals that are going to emerge from this alliance: it’s going to be the radio payola scene of the 50s all over again.
Given the “actual malice” standard that’s set for libel suits involving public figures (and honestly, even most of the better-known bloggers themselves, you, Jim, and Duncan included, are probably public figures), a threat of a libel suit is mostly a threat to cause you to have to run up legal bills. And there are very few people with enough money to file a libel suit that they know they’ll lose, politicians included.
I still think there’s a place for a sort of Blogger’s Benevolent Society, which would enable bloggers to buy health insurance at group rates, perhaps provide a fund for rent for the less stably employed, a retainer for legal defense, clearinghouse for information, etc.
Framing - and now it’s “Bloggers bad partisans! shame, shame, bad bloggers!” - the republican/conservative noise machine has been going full steam for the better part of 15 years - the complaints from the left fill volumns and for the most part have been ignored - why with people like Carville and Begala laural and hardying it over to Fox and Tims’ and Chris’ and NARAL Nancy - shit! is all I can say and along comes Steve: “There have tended to be just enough checks and balances in media to offset serious corruption — until the age of Fox News, Judith Miller, journalists turned celebrities, and others where clearly the lines of co-optation have become evident. But because the practice exists in the main stream media to a degree does not validate in the blogosphere.
Blogging is a new industry and new kind of journalism. Many bloggers are very young and not nearly as jaded as this writer about Washington. For them, getting on to a call with Kennedy or Reid or Durbin is a career mountain climbed. They are thankful to be there — and they know that their presence is fragile.
There are exceptions, however. I have no doubt that if Hillary Clinton had a blogger conference call, Markos Zuniga (aka Kos) would not be sycophantic. There’s a confidence in Kos’s position that doesn’t yield just because of the provision of access.
But that kind of confidence around power is rare in the blogging world.”
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and in giving this condescending lecture of course he gets Kos to watch his back - is that butt kissing or what? kinda like he’s saying bloggers shouldn’t do.
Look a lot of blogs get little or no traffic - the big ones are professional, know what their responsibilities are and stick to it for all that I’ve seen. If Steve is worried about some little der site in Kalamazoo goin’ native then he needs a hobby and get off line and outside once in a while - after all these years of republican yadda, yadda, yadda - they still can’t get a majority worked up to their side - Bush is at 38% and a holdin’ steady - with all the rights influence that number should be higher - or maybe they don’t have the power they think they do. And another thing talking points do win the day for the other side wouldn’t it be nice if our side were all cuddly and focused and saying the same thing?