It would appear that the Ivory Tower is crumbling

[SoCalDem]

The recent WaPo reversal in email policy seems to point to a dilemma that is inflicting most media.

They see their viewership/readership dwindling and splintered, and most of their "senior staff" are neophytes at this "internet/IT thing". They know they have to get with the program and embrace it, but I doubt many of them knew what the ultimate outcome would be.

Until recently, only THEY had access to sophisticated archival research materials. They had copies of all their own, and rival articles, but unless someone was a paper-hoarder with a great memory and and even better storage system, the press was able to backtrack and even reverse course on issues with little consequence.

They can no longer do that because there are millions of everyday people who are fact-checking and editing them ALL THE TIME.


In the old days they could just discard a letter written in a fury, as some 'crackpot' reader. Most people would give up after wasting time and postage, but these days it's much easier and faster.

The ironic part is that THEY are the ones in a box now. They need advertisers, and every time they quash a story that casts an advertiser in a bad light, we can (and DO) call them on it. The media is truly between a rock and a hard place.. They know it, we know it and they KNOW we know it :)

Access to "news" is more difficult for most of them because of cost-cutting moguls who now own most of them. They rely more and more on "citizen journalism". They give little if any credit, but there is now a wedge we can use. If CNN is totally off-base, it doesn;t take a genius to figure out that MSNBC or even FOX would just love to have some "information" dumped into their laps..especially if it's well-sourced and already researched for them. Competition is so fierce,that most are thrilled to have something they can run with that;s newsworthy AND that hammers their competition.

We have become the "divorced child" , able to play one "parent" against each other for the attention we so desperately need.

[Beetwasher]

1. That Putrid, Fetid Smell You Notice, Is the Dead, Bloated, Rotting Corpse

of the Old Media, and may they all rot in hell. Fuck 'em. We're taking them out!

[Z_I_Peevey]

3. I like the way you think. n/t

[Jara sang]

6. I want to shrink the mainstream media down to the size

where you could drown it in a bath tub.

[SoCalDem]

10. They are almost there

I would hate to be a kid paying a fortune for a journalism degree.

[Stephanie]

2. the other day I saw them cut to a reporter who reported on the blogs

"Cindy, what are the blogs saying about this?"

then they cut to her standing before a giant monitor! too funny! like, what do we need you for? we can read the blogs for ourselves. hell, we write them.

[NanceGreggs]

5. It cracks me up every time they do that ...

... and isn't the instant reaction of the TV viewer going to be, "Jeez, what am I wasting time with this crap for? I can go on-line and get all the details - commercial-free, too!"

There's nothing like a company (TV network) that's losing its audience doing FREE advertizing for their competitor (the internetz)!

[SoCalDem]

7. They do it very snidely though.. Look at the "blogs" they choose

snippy the kangaroo .com
little green footballs .com
perky puppy .com

etc

The purposely choose blogs with silly names.. just the way they purposely glomb onto the mohawk-wearing protestors or the street-actors..

They know that the majority of their viewers (especially in the daytime) are probably older straight-laced folks who will just dismiss the whole things as goofy kidstuff.

So even as they report ON us, and use our material and ideas, they are trying to undermine us..

It's too late though:)

[catmandu57]

9. The trouble is one has to read

and think about what they're reading. Television allows them to put their brain on cruise control and just be entertained.

[stepnw1f]

4. They Sell Perception Rather Than News

People don't want to be told how to think about the news. That's mainly where they went wrong... they have becomes Propaganda outlets. Fuck 'em...

[Hubert Flottz]

8. This is why the Bush KKKlan is getting ready to try and kill the

freedom we've had to search out facts. The internet is a large threat to those who would pull the wool over EVERYONE's eyes.

[f-bush]

11. most of the problem is that the media is own by

big business. All they have become is a bunch of corproate whores who do shrubs pimping.

We need an objective indepentent media!!!