Critics of mainstream journalists blog away

Journalists covering campaign believe army of partisan Net writers is trying to bully them into particular point of view.
The New York Times

The story "Critics of mainstream journalists blog away" published October 28, 2004 at 12:04 PM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[Razzl]

offering unthinking partisans is not "journalism"

There was a time when broadcasters and the press offered commentators who, however clear their leanings, would still maintain objectivity by discussing the multiple factors involved in an issue and often enough find common ground for their audience to stand on. Now networks seem to think they are offering a balanced view when they include raging partisans from the right and left, but this practice isn't an acceptable substitute for professional journalism. There is no way that MSNBC.com can say it is offering a fair discussion when it offers the rabid Republican partisan Reynolds as a foil to their liberal writer Alterman, or when Fox gives air time to a partisan thug like Shawn Hannity. These people are not journalists, and public discourse is trashed when you let the intellectually dishonest play in the field. It is also painfully obvious when discussions are routinely slanted by having too many representatives of one viewpoint on panels (such as the all-Republican panel discussions on Fox and MSNBC or the 4 to 1 ratio of Conservative to Liberal guest columns published at MSNBC.com). Partisanism (ignoring facts in order to push propaganda) is pushing out journalism and the internet community is rightly reminding the network people how painful it will be if the public engages in the same level of discourse they are currently putting out.

[Brad_S]

Bloggers are the best watchdogs

Tom Brokaw might do well to read "Who moved my Cheese". The internet and web logs are the rising alternate media. In the past few months they have served to keep the big media in check. When the public expresses their opnions using the technology of the web it is hardly fair to call it a "jihad". Even though the net is already 10 years old, it is still in the beginning phases. And as users become more mature they will learn to be more professional. After all, Tom, if you don't like the freedom of the internet you can always choose to turn it off.