February 17, 2004

HE BLOGS, YOU DECIDE

Scott Norvell, European Bureau Chief for the Fox News Channel, on blogging:

I think blogging is one of the best things to happen to journalism in decades. It has spawned a whole new range of new and different voices. Despite all its talk of diversity, big media in American tends to be something of a closed shop. Sure, they lack ethnic diversity, but they also lack ideological diversity. That’s precisely why Fox News has been so successful and that’s precisely why some of the most prominent bloggers tend to have a more conservative or libertarian tone to what they write. There’s obviously a market for what they do, or no one would be reading it and talking about it.

And I might feel differently if I wrote an opinion column that was parsed by thousands of people every week like (New York Times columnist) Paul Krugman. I think having widely available refutations of major opinion makers is a healthy thing. I like to think it makes them think a little harder before they write something.

Scott isn’t just talk. He’s a blogger himself.

Posted by Tim Blair at February 17, 2004 12:21 AM
Comments

"I like to think it makes them think a little harder before they write something."

Well, he's mostly wrong about that, so far. To this date, I don't see Modo or Krugamn watching what they say. Indeed (and this may just be from the accumulated stress of living for almost 4 years under that Facist-in-Chimp), seems to me that they, and others like them, have grown even less rational over the last two years.

Posted by: Russell at February 17, 2004 at 01:53 AM

"seems to me that they, and others like them, have grown even less rational over the last two years. "

IMHO, this is because they feel their power slipping away ever so slightly, due to FNC and bloggers.

Posted by: ordi at February 17, 2004 at 05:18 AM

Dream on blogmire, wallow in your pathetic fantasies of self-aggrandisement. Talk about wanking in the wind!

Posted by: Miranda Divide at February 17, 2004 at 10:20 AM

Hark at the last, pathetic mooings of a sad, abandoned newsmare. The glue factory waits, you old nag.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at February 17, 2004 at 10:40 AM

Proof of influence: Miranda reads this site every single day.

Posted by: tim at February 17, 2004 at 11:56 AM

Thank you for keeping her off the streets.

Posted by: Sortelli at February 17, 2004 at 03:09 PM

That FNC guy is right about "big media". They do lack diversity, with their slavish centrism, fact checking and reluctance to distort. Unlike the blogosphere, whose refreshingly cavalier approach establishes forgeries, unchecked assertions and obvious lies as no-smoke-without-fire facts. And FNC itself, that bastion of ideological diversity (led by strident leftist Alan Colmes), under the benevolent guidance of battling independent publisher R Murdoch. No "big media" there.

Posted by: kolchak at February 18, 2004 at 05:01 PM

Proof of influence?! Yeah, like I'm really starting to warm to your ugly views. You and the rest of the commentariat don't half fancy yourselves.

I'm the just a pimple on the arse of dissent who actually posts. There's an army of leftie lurkers watching your every move, taking notes. You're an extremist and agitator in journalist's clothing. We keep our friends close and our enemies closer, bloghead.

Posted by: Miranda Divide at February 19, 2004 at 05:55 AM