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September 26, 2004

Hugh Hewitt on the Times' Puffing for Paleoliberals

Instapundit didn't seem especially bothered by the NYT article on blogging, notable only for its failure to actually interview any bloggers making genuine news:

I think it's a pretty good article. Some people are unhappy that it focuses on the lefty bloggers, but that was the intent of the piece from the get-go, and it's been underway for a while -- I had a long conversation with the reporter a few weeks back -- and it's not as if folks like me and Andrew Sullivan and Mickey Kaus haven't had our time in the media spotlight.

With all due respect, Mr. Instapundit, you and the increasingly left-wing Andrew Sullivan may have in fact had your time in the media spotlight, but the bloggers who were most important in breaking this story haven't yet. Yes, the PowerLine guys have been on Fox and CNN, but that's because they deserved to be.

They, along with LGF and Bill from INDC (he who now just interviews subjects at will!) also deserved to be in a NYT article on blogging. They weren't, and they were omitted quite intentionally.

Furthermore, this sentence:

Some people are unhappy that it focuses on the lefty bloggers, but that was the intent of the piece from the get-go

... is simply a non-sequitor. Yes, of course the NYT set out to only interview lefty bloggers. And that is a defense against the charge of political bias how, exactly? Once again, the NYT is determined to promote leftist causes and leftist voices while ignoring their opponents; I don't see how the fact that this was their "intent from the get-go" is some sort of mitigation.

And we know that the NYT decided that maybe it ought to interview Charles Johnson with all this Rathergate craziness going on. They did interview him; they then not only failed to quote him, but to even mention the man's existence.

But Hugh Hewitt sums it up best:

This piece is what the lawyers call "an admission against interest" combined with an undeniable expression of liberal bias in MSM. The admission is that the blogosphere matters a lot. The expression of bias is the incredible series of whopping omissions in the coverage. This is MSM's attempt --and there will be many more-- to "credential" some of their favorites in the blogosphere, thus elevating them and hopefully their readership. How can you be surprised that the way left Times profiles way left bloggers for their way left audience to hopefully bookmark and consult as a sort of internet annex to the still dominant New York Times?
It is a vast cry for help, a plea for reinforcements. The bloggers are inside the citadel, so call in the allied bloggers.

As I wrote yesterday, this is just more Maginot Line thinking by MSM, and more of the same can be expected. The MSM is acting in response to the challenge to its authority as the Vatican did to Luther, first with indifference, then with threats, and eventually with attempted suppression and finally with capitulation and internal reform. The attempt at suppression will come in legal forms, with lawsuits about fair use and threats of business libel, but all for naught. The bleeding isn't just at CBS, and the wounded are angry.

The Times' motivation is transparent. With right-leaning bloggers suddenly getting getting all the attention, and deservedly so, given that they'd broken a major story, the Times has decided to give the left-wingers a little undeserved exposure of their own, to try leveling the playing field a bit.

Fair enough.

Does anyone imagine that if left-wing bloggers had broken a major story and were thus getting all the attention from the rest of the liberal legacy media that the New York Times would have tried for a bit of fairness and given prominent exposure to right wing bloggers?

Anyone?

Anyone at all?

posted by Ace at 07:49 PM

Comments

I was a little confused about Reynolds' response too.

By the by, do instalanches even put a dent in your traffic anymore?

Posted by: Elric on September 26, 2004 07:59 PM

The article would have been fine if it had explicitly admitted that this was a look at lefty bloggers. A newspaper can be biased and honest at the same time.

The Times is dishonest and biased.

Posted by: Mark on September 26, 2004 08:38 PM

Elric,

It depends. An Instapundit link can be worth five or ten thousand hits. Today's link didn't really give me very many hits at all; maybe 500-1000.

A link just saying that someone on the right is "unhappy" apparently doesn't attract a lot of clicks.

Posted by: ace on September 26, 2004 08:42 PM

Glenn Reynolds has gone on record recently that he is trying to calm things down when people are angry - that's why he referred to Kerry's grotesque destructive performance re Allawi as 'ill-conceived'. Of course by the next day, after Joe Lockhart's follow-up troll attack he was describing it as 'unacceptable' and 'appalling'.

Posted by: max on September 26, 2004 08:54 PM

Hey, Hugh Hewitt mentioned Luther in his column several days after I mentioned Luther here in your comments. I'll bet that fellow UM Law School graduate didn't even give me a friggin' hat tip. Son. Of. A. B*****.

Posted by: Birkel on September 26, 2004 09:28 PM

RE: The Charles Johnson interview: Don't worry, I'm sure they'll save the quotes (to be chopped up and yoinked out of context) for an "expose" on the owner of "the most prominent hate site on the web" somewhere down the road when they get REALLY mad.

I also thought the Insta post was interesting because he linked to Kos' whining, which was hysterical, basically boiling down to:

1. NYT article (accurately) portrays him and his commenters as the hate-filled fringe.

2. NYT article (accurately, I presume) paints a less-than-appetizing portrait of his achievements in the arenas of fashion and (implied) hygeine.

3. NYT reporter openly flirts with Wonkette in the piece, and draws unfavorable comparison with other bloggers. Lesson: Pretty and stupid beats fugly, dorky and spittle-flecked, no matter how long (and/or how SINCERELY) you've been waiting in the Bush-hating pumpkin patch. A real, Corey Haim as Lucas moment for Kos.

Just as an aside: In the mid-90s I was involved in a music scene that experienced a massive upgrade in its percieved coolness in a brief span of time, engendering Lucas-y feelings on the part of many dorks who didn't understand that even if the cool people start liking the same bands as the dorks, they don't start liking the dorks themselves. I imagine the ascendence of the blogosphere will be accompanied by similar expressions of whiny bitterness on both sides.

But it's easier for me to see (and to laugh at) when it happens on the other side.

Posted by: DTLV on September 26, 2004 09:49 PM

Apropos of nothing, but Ace, this one's for you.

Posted by: blaster on September 26, 2004 09:56 PM

If it had been a flattering portrayal of any of the bloggers depicted, I'd agree that it'd be something to complain about. I do not.

Posted by: Jim Treacher on September 26, 2004 10:44 PM

Jim T is right. Besides, I can't imagine you wanting to belong to a club that would have you as a member....

The blogosphere shouldn't want to be assimilated into the LLM. What would be the point? You don't need any creds from them, and to be noticed by them might be nice, but would ultimately diminish the impact.

Extra bonus point: When more and more blogs begin to turn off their comments section, you'll know the assimilation/isolation has begun. Open comments are the lifeblood of the blogs, and the last avenue for unfiltered information.

But it is Powerline, FR, LGF, Allah, this blog, and many others that kept the story alive by way of the comments section. The CBS story wouldn't have gotten much traction without interaction.

Personally, I have little attraction to blogs that don't allow comments, although I am an infrequent commenter. Comments keep the honest members of the blogoshpere healthy...it takes a mighty big pair to trot ideas out for everyone to see and attack...something the LLM has isolated itself from.

Hats off and much gratitude to every blogger with the guts to do this important work. When I can, I will definitely be making my info dollars go to bloggers.

Posted by: Joan of Argghh! on September 27, 2004 11:33 AM

He liked the article because Reynolds likes Wonkette for some reason. He's a major reason she picked up the traffic she did.

Why? Two options.

1. He likes to show he is politically broad-minded and he does this by linking to leftists even if they are rather silly and worthless. See the case of one Oliver Willis.

2. He likes big jugs. Again, see the case of Oliver Willis.

Posted by: Jer on September 27, 2004 02:36 PM

poker me up

Posted by: poker me up on December 30, 2004 04:24 PM

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Top Headlines

I got something done yesterday and am exhausted.

Posted by: ChristyBlinky
[CBD]

Podcast: Illegals registered and voted in NJ! Leftist violence is baked into the Democrat cake, Iran's capabilities are being degraded, Londonistan? And...come on SC...no senate dynasties!

Off-putting anti-charismatic Karen Jessica Chastain finally found the right role -- demonic witch monster

Update to the video of a Russian soldier being spun around and thrown by the machinegun he was operating: The soldier was testing an old, archaic Russian machinegun intended to be mounted to a helicopter. The old gun was pressed into service as a possible anti-drone gun. The Russian army is generally depleted and being forced to bring a lot of old, unreliable weapons and platforms to the front.
Also: Ukranian drones have ~~destroyed~~ damaged [CBD] over 147 Russian warships and shadow fleet oil tankers in the Black Sea over the past ten days.

TJM definitively ranks the films of the man who made Ben-Hur.

Top Men!

FDA is providing an update regarding the sample of lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms de Mexico which was reported positive on July 18, 2026. Due to the complexity in detection of Cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive. Information about the sample has been removed from the July 18, 2026, update below. FDA has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market. FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples. As of July 19, 2026, there are no confirmed positive sample results for product testing for Cyclospora.

[CBD]

FEDERAL APPEALS COURT STRIKES DOWN NJ "ASSAULT WEAPONS" BAN/MAGAZINE BAN! Let's see if it reverts to the previous 15 round limit or I can actually run my weapons as God intended! [CBD]

TJM discusses the lack of appreciation of William Wyler, director of Ben-Hur and Roman Holiday

David Strom: Diversity Is Not Our Strength When They Hate Us

Podcast: Trump Slaps Mullin down; he wants the auto stops to continue, we need employment enforcement at our big corporations, The gerontocracy in the Senate, the Iranian junta is true to form, but Trump responds forcefully, and more!

Forgotten 80s Mystery Click: Northern Lights Division
Our topic today is music
That's right, like
'Cause my brother and I are now experts in the field, eh
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Except for him, I'm a band
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You're making me look bad
You're such a Hosehead

TJM definitively ranks the films of John Frankenheimer

CNBC ranks Tennessee as dead last in its “Worst States to Live” analysis. The specific reason is that cross-dressing men in TN are denied access to children and women’s private spaces. Texas finished 49th. The “worst” states were all red states. [Buck]

Senator Lindsey Graham (R - SC) has died after a "brief and sudden illness." [Buck]

The "Evel Knievel Experience," a museum dedicated to the famous daredevil, opens in (where else) Las Vegas
Well I guess they could have opened it on the Snake Canyon.

TJM discusses the career of John Frankenheimer, director of both The Manchurian Candidate and...Prophecy.

In response to someone asking why the video tape doesn't show Tyler Robinson's face (PS, it does, but it's crappy video so it's blurry):

Candace Owens
@RealCandaceO

Because as I demonstrated on my show, there were MANY young men that all woke up and decided to dress in Maroon shirts and light shorts on the day of the Charlie's assassination.

The footage can be any one of these young men and in my opinion is likely multiple of them.

If Tyler Robinson's defense would like to contact me-- I'd be happy to supply them the folder of the maroon boys that I began archiving when I noticed the bizarre fashion trend.

I have thus far ID'd two of them, but will focus on IDing the rest of them when I am back on air.

I have maintained that the Feds had multiple decoy maroon boys on the ground that day. Without a clear image, they certainly cannot declare it is Tyler Robinson which is why all the Zionist influencers are hoping they can simply hypnotize the public into trusting blurry images and videos.

For such an "open and shut case" they have thus far provided ZERO evidence of anything outside of a criminal government conspiracy, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the JFK assassination.

Fenix Ammunition responds to "retard" and Nazi Ian Carroll about the Candy Crew's non-expertise on ballistics

More "fedslop" that Cavernous Nostrils is too smart to be taken in by:

Blake Neff
@BlakeSNeff

BREAKING: Lance Twiggs says that Robinson admitted to him in-person on Sept. 11 that the message he had sent the night before (presumably, messages sent while he was trying to retrieve his rifle the night of Sept 10) was true. He says Robinson told him "He wishes he hadn't done it."

Fenix Ammunition
@FenixAmmunition

Photos of the ammunition recovered from Tyler Robinson.

Remington headstamp on the case and despite the somewhat low resolution on the photo you can see the somewhat blunted nature of the projectile's tip.

This is a Remington Cor-Lokt soft point round. It's SPECIFICALLY designed to deform, slow down, and prevent an exit wound. Available at literally every single gun store and sporting goods store that sells ammunition.

In fact, 16 out of the 17 .30-06 varieties manufactured by Remington use some type of expanding, deforming, or fragmenting bullet. Only ONE of their products uses a full metal jacket projectile that could/would be expected to leave an exit wound.

Here's a clip of them sitting in my desk.

This has been the most easily debunked claim of their entire web of lies and it's really mind blowing considering this is exactly what you would choose for an assassination.

But yeah, definitely keep getting all your information from the DEI hire and the Portland pizza boy. I'm sure they know more about this than I do.

Post here, showing Tyler Robinson's ammunition, matching this guy's own box. And it is an expanding-tip hollow-point round.

Boy these Internet Experts (TM) sure do get a lot of things wrong.