The Aerie
In today's Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan proves she has a deft bat when whacking the straw man argument of mainstream media-vs-bloggers. And certainly the blogosphere presents challenges to mainstream media. But the problem isn't really that of mainstream versus the blogosphere.
The problem is that the admirably well-organized and well-funded NeoConservative movement has managed to completely dominate both mainstream and blog media. And that overwhelming domination of public discourse has the unpleasant look and feel of mob politics.
Now it's not the NeoCon's problem that nobody on the Left is half as organized and half as well-funded as the Right. But it's everybody's problem that social discourse in this country is controlled by a few very powerful and very wealthy interests. Maybe a few hardened idealogues think the best solution to America's various ills is a monolithic political structure, but most thoughtful people seek our answers within a diverse sociopolitical environment.
And the fact is, the blogosphere is neither free nor uncontrolled. Ms. Noonan's comments about the blogosphere being "free" would be laughable if they weren't so tragic. The fact is, large sums of money are backing the most popular right-wing blogs, and the mainstream media that Ms. Noonan decries is controlled by interests that actively suppress stories and messages favorable to the Left.
That's why Ms. Noonan gets to promulgate the popular NeoCon myth of victimization from her perch atop the venerable Wall Street Journal, while many worthwhile stories are ignored - the billions of US tax dollars missing in Iraq; the Jeff Gannon story (which is conspicuously absent from most mainstream media); the health care crisis which so overshadows the trumped-up Social Security crisis; and many more.
No, my hat's off to the NeoCon's - this social revolution has been neatly and bloodlessly executed (that is, if you ignore the blood in Iraq as they do).
You control everything, NeoCons. Congratulations. Now, are you going to preserve and strengthen America? Or are you going to destroy it to feed your own fears and fund your own bank accounts?
Posted by Albatross at February 18, 2005 5:47 PM