Comments on: New media and old

By: neo-neocon

neo-neocon — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Ymarsakar–Just to clarify: I didn’t say that I myself believe that too many sources cause confusion, I wrote “This multiplicity of sources of information…is often viewed by its critics as leading to more confusion and more disinformation.”

By: Ymarsakar

Ymarsakar — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

It is interesting that you would say that many sources of information provides confusion. Those that actually believe that, aren't proponents of free speech since free speech at its core is the belief that people when confronted with multidutinous and conflicting accounts is able to sort through those accounts to the truth.

People don't and shouldn't argue that listening to the Klu Klux Klan as well as Republican ideas of tolerance as well as Liberal ideas of tolerance in addition to the fake liberal ideas of tolerance, somehow is going to "confuse" people about which one is right.

Their principles of action and truth, is betrayed in the very hint that they provide to us that they think too "many" sources produce an undesired "truth". It may be undesired to them, but to those in love with liberty of self and of expression, varied accounts are harmonious and good.

By: MargeinMI

MargeinMI — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Thanks for some great 'one liner' talking points I can use with my mom. Her POV is that the web is full of crazies and is unreliable as a news source. (She gets all her news from the Detroit Free Press and NPR, UGH!)

We had a discussion at Easter re: Terri Schivo. She brought it up, little knowing I'd spent about 20 hours reading up on the web from MANY sources the previous week. WOW was she uninformed!!! I think I kind of blew her away with how much I knew about it compared to her. After my lengthly response to her original question, the conversation pretty much ended. Heh.

I think I'll send her a link here!

By: Bookworm

Bookworm — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

John Leo has an excellent column about the fact that the MSM resolutely hides information from its readers that might lead them to understand better the bias driving a particular article. Your observations dovetail neatly with his point.

By: Goesh

Goesh — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

I find some very thoughtful, intelligent, enlightening commentary in Blogs such as this, not only from the authors, but the audience as well. These are Public forums that provide people a chance to express themselves and to vent if necessary. Yours is one of the better Blogs I have come across. Keep up the good work!

By: Scorekeeper

Scorekeeper — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Please read this and provide any comments to me if you have intimate knowledge of it, thanks.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=15708#c0014

By: Scorekeeper

Scorekeeper — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

Please read this and provide any comments to me if you have intimate knowledge of it, thanks.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=15708#c0014

By: Acad Ronin

Acad Ronin — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

The MSM make much of the notion that bloggers require no experience before they blog. Let me assure you that neither do reporters. I worked for some years in Tokyo as a macroeconomist for a major investment bank and often answered US reporters' questions about the Japanese economy. The dominant impression I got was one of appalling ignorance. I spent much of my time when on the phone with them simply trying to teach the reporters basic economics and a little about the Japanese economy.

As it happens, I am also a military veteran, and that has made aware of another area of journalistic ignorance: basic military facts such as ranks and organization. The errors I regularly see, that apparently survived the rigorous fact checking and editorial overview of which the MSM are proud, are tyro mistakes.

By contrast, the bloggers that I follow for economics, law, military affairs, and biology, have impressive credentials (PhDs, JDs, appointments at top universities, or career experience) in their fields. The contrast could not be greater, to the detriment of the journalists.

By: Paul

Paul — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

I distrust the forth estate at times, but we need a free press and we need to keep it honest!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:00:00 +0000

"Now, all that stands in our way is time. It takes time and effort to be a newschecker, much more time and effort that most people have or are willing to give. There is always more to read, more to know."

That is where blogs can be useful. We may not have the time to check the source, but some blogger with time on his hands will do so, and the word will spread.

All we have really lost is our illusions that the MSM was giving us the truth. Anyone who has ever seen a news report of something they were personally involved in knows how inaccurate the MSM reports always were. We just had no independent basis for comparison for most of the stories, and had to trust them. That trust is gone for some of us, and blogs are providing the independent basis for comparison that we previously lacked.