December 09, 2004

DAN'S BLOGGY FRIENDS

You'll recall how, during Memogate, CBS used someone who'd come to notice on the Net in a bid to discredit its shallow, lazy, pyjama-wearing critics -- also on the Net. Now the network is getting positively pro-active, Net-wise:

The owner of Nonviolence.org, Martin Kelley, said he got an interesting phone call yesterday from a CBS News publicist for—you guessed it—Dan Rather's 60 Minutes Wednesday, the same program that carried the infamous bogus memos.

"Yesterday I got a call from a publicist for CBS News’s 60 Minutes. They’re running a story tonight on 'Deserters,' U.S. military personnel who have fled to Canada rather than serve in Iraq. She was requesting that I talk up the program on Nonviolence. In nine years of publishing the peace site, I can’t remember ever getting a call from a publicist before. I’ve talked to reporters from major news networks and papers, and I’ve talked a booking agent or two to arranging appearances on radio shows, but never a publicist."

Other liberal/anti-war bloggers who have talked about the upcoming story in preparation for tonight's broadcast include No Capital, Daily War News, Bankrupt Artist v.3

Posted by Tim Blair at December 9, 2004 01:17 PM
Comments

Isn't that uh, kinda artificial. I don't think any of the blogs I read get requests from the MSM to "talk up" a subject.

I read this, Lileks, Rottweiler, Blackfive, Belmont, LGF etc. and they pick their own damn subjects or link to other stories THEY pick. I wonder if the fact that the topic was to be planted was meant to be mentioned in the post. Kinda sneaky and unethical?

Did YOU get a call Tim? No? "Surprise, surprise, surprise!"

Posted by: Catracks at December 9, 2004 at 04:45 PM

"Isn't that uh, kinda artificial. I don't think any of the blogs I read get requests from the MSM to "talk up" a subject."

Artificial? The MSM being artificial! Nah, couldn't be. (end sarcasm)

I'm sure CBS will get a quick addition to its remaining pool of 6 or so viewers due to the publicity. After all, the idea of American soldiers fleeing to Canada is something lefties would find very appealing. I'm sure they'll tune in to hear all about it.


Posted by: Chris Josephson at December 9, 2004 at 06:20 PM

If any news beast called me or emailed me and asked me to "talk up" a subject I'd treat them the way I treat every other person who tries to tell me what to post on my own blog.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at December 9, 2004 at 09:23 PM

I think they're still kind of vague on what blogs actually ARE.

Posted by: Lexy at December 9, 2004 at 10:24 PM

Andrea Harris:

"If any news beast called me or emailed me and asked me to "talk up" a subject I'd treat them the way I treat every other person who tries to tell me what to post on my own blog."

You'd ban them? :)

Posted by: Jay at December 9, 2004 at 11:19 PM

No, I'd have them killed by one of my minions.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at December 9, 2004 at 11:27 PM

You can't keep a good woman down.

Posted by: crash at December 10, 2004 at 01:08 AM

So the only bloggers CBS will meet are commie sympathizers. No wonder they think all bloggers wear pajamas.

Posted by: Sean at December 10, 2004 at 04:45 AM