"Just give us the news, the whole news and nothing but the news."

Wouldn't that be nice? Until that day comes, I think I'll stick to the blogs.

and maybe a little bit of leg

People find the news depressing, yet they don't watch unless there's something provacative. Fuzzy human interest stories don't pay the bills.

As a sports fan, I reach for the remote everytime Sporscenter does one of those "kid with a learnng disability makes the little league baseball squad" pieces. that may sound a bit harsh, but
TV news is a cumbersome and limited medium for information delivery. Newspapers and the internet provide larger volumes of information with multiple points of view. television broadcasts have to choose carefully and they must choose the direction hich will least likely lead to a channel change.

Also, to Mike, the idea that blogs could ever offer a more complete unfettered side of the news is an outrageous distortion, but one I think is indicative of the current self-important phase that blogging is going through in its infancy. Just look at the way that partisan blogs jump all over corruption from the other side of the aisle yet remain tacet when the offender comes from their side.

Hmmmm.

Just look at the way that partisan blogs jump all over corruption from the other side of the aisle yet remain tacet when the offender comes from their side.

And that's different from the MSM ... how?

"The idea that blogs couldn ever offer a more complete unfettered side of the news is an outrageous distortion"

What the???? are You blithering about?

"Also, to Mike, the idea that blogs could ever offer a more complete unfettered side of the news is an outrageous distortion"

Who's making an outrageous distortion? I never claimed blogs would offer a "more complete unfettered side of the news."

Better yet, stop lying about the news. Especially stop lying by omission, focusing exclusively on the negative while omitting the positive aspects.

We don't need solutions -- we need a c c u r a c y.

Destruction and mayhem are popular, even in the blogosphere: http://www.anotherblogger.com/2006/07/18/death-and-mayhem-are-popular/

Very simply, blogs have to rely on the MSM for their material. Then the pundit/writer puts his or her spin on it. Having access to Bloomberg, Reuters, Sky, CNN and Fox et al, I have yet to hear breaking news on a blog. In fact I have at times emailed certain blogs with breaking news stories as they happen in Europe so that they have food for thought when they awake in the US. But Blogs are not news breakers per se, they are spinners regardless of their political bias.

As Rob rightly points out, blogs are still in their infancy and given the sheer number of them already, they spew more bullshit than the MSM ever did. But sometimes you read a piece on a blog which does make you think and question; but unfortunately most of it is the same old, same old! And there is nothing more annoying than some pundit sitting behind the anonymity of a psuedonym with editorial control pretending to be a know all. Now that is not a personal attack on anyone here but rather an observation of the blogosphere as a whole.

Does anyone besides trolls comment on Carol Platt Liebeau's site? All you see are attacks from the same double-team of assholes: Duke-Stir and Dittohead.

Conors,
Reuters, CNN, Sky ... are spins with less or no accountability. Blogsphere are "spins" with instant accountability. If you are caught lying or consistently "spin" garbages, you will lose traffic in the long run. In the short run, you can always appeal to the conspiracy-minded audience to keep your traffic up. Kos is such an example.

Loveamerica

I can not agree. Your talk of traffic is nonsense. The firms I quoted are not perfect but they are considerably subject to more accountability than blogs. To state otherwise would suggest that blogs are more important than established news companies. Come on, you are not seriously suggesting that are you?

What is even more amazing is that when the American media questions the American President and his government, the media is accused of being unpatriotic. If the media can not ask questions which the government finds uncomfortable then surely the media is nothing but impotent?

I for one would have more time for a journalist who questions the government on the public's behalf over a blogger who accepts as gospel everything the president says. You can still love your country even if you disagee with your government.

OT: Kos is huge -- I had no idea it was that big.

I'm not sure all of Carol's ideas would have the effect she desired -- (emph. added) "But would it really kill you to do a story on some of the good our soldiers are doing, too -- something about the toy drives for children, the animal rescuing, the plastic surgery for innocent victims of violence that our soldiers have spearheaded?"

That last suggestion doesn't sound like "good news" to me.

Isn't this what "Bowling for Columbinge" all about - or am I mistaken. It appears that the media feels like it can get a certain kind of reaction when promoting fear and hyped up urgency. The fact is that the media does lie for the purposes of a particular response- whether or not they transmit happy or sad news. It would definitely be nice to hear some good news once in a while, but would that build up any trust that I would have for these news-stations, and program owners - i have my doubts. At this point I am much more content not watching television and sticking to websites and blogs run by people I trust.

The REAL news is what's happening in science, medicine, technology and inventions. I'm interested in politics ONLY because of the imminent danger the idiots known as "professional politicians" from here and abroad pose.

A thousand years from now the relevant history will be about the scientific and technological breakthroughs happening at this time. I'd rather see a breakdown of recent patents granted at the very least.

Matt

If anyone is guilty of promoting fear and hyped up urgency it is Bush!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lets face if the GWOT is not hyped up, then I dont know what is. Bush shoudl have gone after Bin Laden and only then once he had been dealt with should Iraq have been tackled. Surely most Americans would feel happier if Bin Laden was behind bars than Hussein. Ask any relative of a 9/11 victim.

Fear and hyped up urgency!!! There are people on here whom if told by Bush that shit was custard, they would be spoon feeding it to themselves.

Rob, you miss the point. Blogs give voice to other ideas and other evaluations for consideration.

Conoer is breaking news so important that its mostly distorted. There is nothing that can't wait a few hours for proper evaluation. News from europe? Who gives a crap about europe. The nyt is accountable? Dude where do you keep your head?

Lee, that is the best entry I have read from you.

Ahhhh. Connor finally raised his colors. A President Bush hated blined to reality by his hate. Go watch TV little man. I throw mine out decades ago.

"Would it really kill you to do a story on some of the good our soldiers are doing, too. . ."

Of course not, and The Perky One would be the first to tell you that. But of course, it all depends on context. Right now under the blundering leadership of Chimpy McBushitler, our troops are teen-raping, baby-killing skinheads. When a Democrat becomes CINC, it will be amazing how many stories of selfless heroism and patriotic sacrifice Katie will be able to show you.

"You can still love your country even if you disagree with your government."

Really, Conor? Tell that to the syphilitic hillbilly.

Well, Katie might be a smirking liberal Moonbat from hell but, damn, she's cute! And rich too!!

Katie, I love you. Or at least I could fall deeply in love with your, you know, vast sums of money.

the plastic surgery for innocent victims of violence that our soldiers have spearheaded?"
Posted by: Lee

Thank you Lee for posting a perfect example of the spin that leftist Main stream reporters, editors and commentators put on the news.

The vast majority of 'innocent victims needing plastic surgery' are the direct result of terrorists and 'insurgents' attacking civilians.

They are frequently blowing themselves up with the civilian population directly targeted.

You are specifically and dishonestly implying that it is us who are creating those victims, when in fact, it is the bastards fighting to impose horrific regimes like Iran and a return to Baathism in Iraq who are responsible.

The only thing more despicable than your misplaced blame is the fact that you do it intentionally.

Just as the media typically does and has done since Vietnam. Once the 'blinders' come off and people realize the 'game' the MSM is playing, people walk away from viewership. The MSM as we've known it is dying and, they know it.

It's almost time to stick a fork in it, as its done.

"Just give us the news, the whole news and nothing but the news."

You can't handle the news!!! I live.... courage...

/couric

Bush shoudl have gone after Bin Laden and only then once he had been dealt with should Iraq have been tackled.

So what do you suggest we should have done with the 110,000 US troops sitting with their thumbs up their asses in the desert while babysitting Iraq for the UN?

...all the while Hussein was taking French and Russian money for oil bribes to fund Hamas and his other proxies, and keep his chemical weapons options open?

Just my opinion d_brit - you're entitled to yours...

"So what do you suggest we should have done with the 110,000 US troops sitting with their thumbs up their asses in the desert while babysitting Iraq for the UN?"

Ahh, a new Bush apologist's excuse for his failing to execute on the war on terror. The old "what do you suggest we should have done with the 110,000 US troops sitting with their thumbs up their asses in the desert while babysitting Iraq for the UN? ploy. -- lol

Conor,
THe paper of record, NYT, has been caught red-handed lying and CBS Rathergate was a glaring example of the lack of accountability in the MSM news business. The lack of accountability all these years is what led to the despicabale of the media like the NYT, USATodays siding with the terrorist enemies of AMerica.
Sure we need independent news sources but more competition is the key. And the blogs serve as an accountablity mechanism for the spins of the news media. Look at how the lies of SP, NYT, CBS etc... have been caught by the blog "spinners" using your terminology.
We definitely don't need gov subsidized BBC, PBS . We can live without NYT, LAT, and the alphabet networks. New news source with more credibility like WSJ, FOX will rise to take up the places of these corrupt news sources. So don't worry about it. Competition will sort it out.

Conor there is a difference between NEWS and PROPAGANDA. Something that seems to escape the notice of the NYT and the msm.
There is also a difference between honest facts based criticism of government officials, agencies and policies and AIDING AND ABETTING the enemy.
But such distinctions might be too nuanced for lefties to grasp.

Lee is simply a perfect example of the intellectual and moral corruption of the modern liberal left.
All they can do is carp at people who are trying to solve real and difficult problems.

Lee blames everything on Bush while complaining that I always blame the liberals. But Lee doesn't like consistent standard. I simply apply his own standard to himself.

Democracy in Iraq is nothing of value to the hypocritical leftists. They were willing to sell out the poor/oppressed to the communists during the cold war. They are now willing to sell out the Iraqui people to the terrorists and former Baathist insurgents simply to have a chance to bash Bush. What a corrupt movement! They have the gall to talk about the poor/opporessed. WHat a joke.

BTW, Lee wants us to learn of how Is deal with the terrorists. The loyal opposition as represented by Likud joined the gov and have a united front againts the terrorists. The American liberals cannot keep the farce of unity for more than 5 minutes.

"Just my opinion d_brit - you're entitled to yours..."Posted by: Lee

It's NOT a matter of opinion, Lee. It's factually untrue to place the blame for the disfigurements upon our troops. And you know it.

Cubanbob,
The MSM says it is their right to criticize the gov. That 's the left 's matra: dissent is patriotic. So we should dissent strongly to the MSM 's propaganda. The left should be happy when common people are showing strong dissent against the MSM.

a new Bush apologist's excuse for his failing to execute on the war on terror

You didn't describe this "failure to execute" previously when you unsubstantiatedly asserted it, and you aren't doing so this time either.

It is far easier to rid the world of the half-dozen large sources of money and the dozen smaller sources, than to eliminated the poor and unedumacated masses that have existed during every one of the 3,650,000 days of human civilization and that every simpleton expects will just evaporate if "Israel and the US stop making poor people mad at us".

Doesn't get simpler than that, buckwheat, though you sure are trying to.

d_Brit,
I missed Lee 's slander against AMerican troops again. He is so despicable for joining Murtha in slandering the US military at Haditha. He hasn't offered any apology for that. Now it seems that he is showing his true color again: taking every opportunity to slander American troops. Yet at the same time, he was talking tough about using nuke in Afghanistan. Imagine what would happen to all those civilians he claimed to care about. Lee is truly a despicable propagandist.

"It's NOT a matter of opinion, Lee."

All I did was quote Carol verbatim - quoting the exact words she used - and expressing my opinion that it didn't sound like good news ot me -- having video footage of before and after plastic surgery (before difigurement and after "scars") only serves to bring to the public view the horrors of war, not the "good news".

Did you misunderstand what she said? If you are claiming that the words are factually untrue-- why are you yelling at me - they were her words!

Do you have anger management problems? Perhaps you should see a psychologist d_brit. You seem unbalanced, or are you just a troll?

Someone said "You didn't describe this "failure to execute" previously when you unsubstantiatedly asserted it, and you aren't doing so this time either."

We still haven't gotten bin-Laden - or do the conervative blogs you read not mention that fact these days?

The Republicans' Global War on Terror seems to have passed by the man responsible for the 9/11 attacks -- that guy - the bin-Laden huy -- you remember.. right?

That, my little troll, is a Major failure to execute - 59 months and counting and still no bin-Laden.

But now we know why -- the old "what do you suggest we should have done with the 110,000 US troops sitting with their thumbs up their asses in the desert while babysitting Iraq for the UN? excuse -- lol

Lee,
Let 's say the terrorists hiding in civilian housing launching to rockets at American troops. THey even used the the women/children as human shields. When the troops returned fireeven with utmost care, some of the civilians got hurt. Some Baathist insurgents even used some pictures of hurt civilians (not sure caused by whom even) to blame on American troops. The American media published these pictures as fact. Instead of strongly condemning these evil terrorists, they either blame the US military or just the bland horrors of wars. IT is standard propaganda.

My question is why Lee is willing to participate in such a propaganda against the US military and willingly aiding these evil terrorists?

Lee,
Bin Laden is dead. I don't have any proof he is alive. If he is alive, he would hold a major press conference. I know Bush is alive because he has press conferences all the time.

We are attacking the terrorists where it hurts. A democratic Iraq is a nightmare for them. Even AlQ is admitting they are losing badly in Iraq and asking for help. What 's wrong with the left that they are wishing for failures while the enemy admitted that we are successful in Iraq?

LoveAmerica - after d_brit gets his meds straightened out go over and borrow some from him.