Today no less than a revolution is occurring. The first shots were fired many years ago but the first pitched battle was won in just this last week. The mainstream media decided that there would be no coverage of the allegations from the Swiftboat Veterans. The community of bloggers decided that this was an issue which needed to be covered. The battle lines were formed and cracks quickly developed as the media were incapable of resisting the incredible force of millions of people getting and knowing information from alternate sources.
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So what does all of this mean? Many things actually; one is that there is no longer a monopoly of message from major media outlets. The web logs remain an effective check on the arrogance of the fourth estate. Note that this check could operate on either side of the political spectrum but tends to be most effective from the right. That is likely because of the left leaning nature of most major media coverage of stories.
Matt's Chat
It had to happen sooner or later. The mainstream media has been spoonfeeding us their propaganda for so long, that finally some cracks are showing in the armor. Blogs have taken advantage of that weakness.
Diversity is a wonderful thing... That is one of the things I find so refreshing about the blogosphere. I've seen and read things that I never would have been exposed to without the blogosphere.
And my own participation in the "revolution," as Mahatma calls it, has been a delightful exercise in personal renewal. I'm not going to go all John Kerry and exaggerate our influence (or our hit count), but if we've swayed even one person to take a critical look at what the media is telling them; it will have all been worth it. Not to mention the personal growth and development that comes naturally from having to put thoughts and views out there in the marketplace of ideas.
It is a rewarding experience and one that I encourage everyone to try.
Mark's Remarks
Yes, the Rise of the Blog and alternative media has been an incredible force over the last 5 years, especially in the last 18 months. It is amazing what happens when people who care take a stand and rise to be counted. Those of us out here in the blogosphere are just exercising our freedom of expression. And I applaud those who earnestly and sincerely seek to tell the truth, as they see it. I do not even want to get into the smear merchants and those who simply ad hominem, but, that is their right. At least as long as John Kerry doesn't become President, because then we might see the collapse of this new medium, because it helped open eyes to Kerry's true colors!
What is really telling in this rise of Blogs is the decline of mainstream media. At one time, the NY Times truly was the newspaper of record. Now, more people get their news from Drudge and blogs than the Times. More people get their news from Fox than the networks. Why is this? Could it truly be people are sick of the spin? Could it be that people are sick of the liberal filter? Could it be that they want to hear the news, not be fed propaganda? Could it be they want something more than Dan Blather and Brokejaw and Peterhead Jennings? I think so.
So what happens? Bloggers are called whackos by the likes of egotists like Chris "Caveman" Matthews, even as they are using blogs to get their show notes together. What is troublesome to the media is that blogs are watchdog sites. No matter what side you are on, if someone screws up, the blogs will report it. And the Big Time media hates to be called on mistakes. They hate competition. That is why they seek to silence us. That is why they poopoo our efforts. However, if one is to look at circulation and viewership, Drudge, Fox, and blogs are rising; and networks and papers are falling. I think it speaks volumes about the failures of the modern mass media. Unlike them, bloggers don't hide behind claiming objectivity. We lay it out and say this is how we see it; and I think people find that refreshing. Rather than see the talking heads fake objectivity, they like that real people blogging admit biases and simply blog away.
Maybe the media needs to wake up...maybe I need to shut up so they don't and we can still have an audience...Either way, thanks fellow bloggers and viva la (reagan) revolution!
