Blogging In Pajamas
Well, not this time, but you'll never know when I might be.
Some people fear clowns, others fear high places. I have a feeling that Dan Rather's worse nightmare now revolves around pj's and computers. Somehow, I don't think Dan will be asking for jammies for Christmas.
I always thought CBS stood for Columbia Broadcasting System. Now it stands for Can't Believe (the) Shit (we report).
Seriously, I never would have imagined that bloggers could have the influence that Powerline and others have had over the last week. I never did catch the name of the uh...gentleman... who sneered at bloggers by saying that we're just a bunch of people sitting in front of the computer in our pajamas in the living room. That sounds a bit like "Clue": The blogger is Powerline, in the living room, with a computer!
For many years, I subscribed to the local newspaper. When I got the feeling they were subscribing to the Sarasota paper (the news in the local paper was always a day or two behind the Sarasota paper) to get the news, I cancelled the subscription. I stopped listening to network news during the Clinton years because I could see a definite bias (Hail Bill! All hail Hillary, The Wise and Powerful!) toward the left.
You see, back in the stone age when I was in high school, I took some journalism classes. I was taught that a journalist reports the news. The reader or viewer should never be able to discern the reporters opinion. The reporter should report just the facts and nothing but the facts. When I began to catch the bias in network news, I honestly didn't mind the bias itself so much. What I minded was finding out that facts were being left out because they didn't help the slant of the story. There was too much fitting the facts to the story the media wanted to tell and not enough telling the facts and letting the reader or viewer decide the story.
There are stories to be told. And reporters have an obligation to present the facts of the story, not just the facts that support the slant they want to tell. I get most of my news today from Fox, talk radio, and the Internet because I can get the facts and form my own opinions. I don't like or need anyone else telling me what to think. I am intelligent, fairly well read, and can think for myself. I don't need anyone to interpret the facts for me. If I need help, I'll ask for more information. That's one of the things I like about the Internet. If I don't understand something, I can always find a news site or a blog that will help me to understand. I might have to go to several sites, but I'll eventually understand.
And now, with the advent of blogs, we've entered a new era. A new era where people will come to the Internet for information. I think that the mainstream media will be left in the dust unless they change their ways. I think that the Internet and bloggers have forever changed the way campaigns will be run in the future.
I know that I will never have the influence of the big bloggers. I don't write nearly as well and it's mainly for my own entertainment and need to express myself. If someone else reads what I write, and likes it, so much the better. I don't even mind an argument as long as the rules are followed. Do I wish I could have the influence that Powerline has right now? I'd like to have the traffic, but I'm realistic. It ain't gonna happen.
So, congratulations to Powerline, LGF, and the others who ushered in this new era. A new era has started, and history has been made. I might not be one of the big dogs, but it's nice to be a teeny, tiny part of it.
Well, not this time, but you'll never know when I might be.
Some people fear clowns, others fear high places. I have a feeling that Dan Rather's worse nightmare now revolves around pj's and computers. Somehow, I don't think Dan will be asking for jammies for Christmas.
I always thought CBS stood for Columbia Broadcasting System. Now it stands for Can't Believe (the) Shit (we report).
Seriously, I never would have imagined that bloggers could have the influence that Powerline and others have had over the last week. I never did catch the name of the uh...gentleman... who sneered at bloggers by saying that we're just a bunch of people sitting in front of the computer in our pajamas in the living room. That sounds a bit like "Clue": The blogger is Powerline, in the living room, with a computer!
For many years, I subscribed to the local newspaper. When I got the feeling they were subscribing to the Sarasota paper (the news in the local paper was always a day or two behind the Sarasota paper) to get the news, I cancelled the subscription. I stopped listening to network news during the Clinton years because I could see a definite bias (Hail Bill! All hail Hillary, The Wise and Powerful!) toward the left.
You see, back in the stone age when I was in high school, I took some journalism classes. I was taught that a journalist reports the news. The reader or viewer should never be able to discern the reporters opinion. The reporter should report just the facts and nothing but the facts. When I began to catch the bias in network news, I honestly didn't mind the bias itself so much. What I minded was finding out that facts were being left out because they didn't help the slant of the story. There was too much fitting the facts to the story the media wanted to tell and not enough telling the facts and letting the reader or viewer decide the story.
There are stories to be told. And reporters have an obligation to present the facts of the story, not just the facts that support the slant they want to tell. I get most of my news today from Fox, talk radio, and the Internet because I can get the facts and form my own opinions. I don't like or need anyone else telling me what to think. I am intelligent, fairly well read, and can think for myself. I don't need anyone to interpret the facts for me. If I need help, I'll ask for more information. That's one of the things I like about the Internet. If I don't understand something, I can always find a news site or a blog that will help me to understand. I might have to go to several sites, but I'll eventually understand.
And now, with the advent of blogs, we've entered a new era. A new era where people will come to the Internet for information. I think that the mainstream media will be left in the dust unless they change their ways. I think that the Internet and bloggers have forever changed the way campaigns will be run in the future.
I know that I will never have the influence of the big bloggers. I don't write nearly as well and it's mainly for my own entertainment and need to express myself. If someone else reads what I write, and likes it, so much the better. I don't even mind an argument as long as the rules are followed. Do I wish I could have the influence that Powerline has right now? I'd like to have the traffic, but I'm realistic. It ain't gonna happen.
So, congratulations to Powerline, LGF, and the others who ushered in this new era. A new era has started, and history has been made. I might not be one of the big dogs, but it's nice to be a teeny, tiny part of it.
Update: Found out that the "gentleman" who dismissed bloggers as "a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas" is former CBS VP Jonathan Klein (thanks to Sissy for clearing this matter up for me). Wonder what he's doing these days? Just for the record, the computer I use to blog these days is in the living room, and I have blogged in my jammies. I am a proud member of the Jammies Brigade and I blog in the Pajamasphere. Hats off to Twisted Spinster!
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