RSSWhat is the MSM saying about Blogs; The Beginning of the End
Blogs have revolutionized the way we inform ourselves in gaining the news. Gone are the liberal media filters that express an agenda and bias rather than reporting the facts. Of course there are those on the left that claim the opposite is occurring. Its hard to imagine seeing the on TV, Fox News seems to be an island in the middle of a vast liberal ocean. A hand full of news papers carry a conservative view; however, talk radio seems to be predominantly conservative. In the end the liberal slant overwhelmingly still rules the day.
However, it is one thing to talk to fellow bloggers and get constructive criticism when we are in an echo chamber. A funny thing happened on the way to a filibuster “gutless” compromise the other night. The left and the right side of the blogosphere found common ground in the spineless actions of 14 Senators. Look how the MSNBC decided to report on the issues. Remember, this is coming from the MSM, not bloggers. We found this amazing and a clear sign that the MSM may just see the writing on the wall.
COMPROMISE REACHED! REPUBLICANS SCREWED!
This site also gives an interesting perspective on how the links on this issue are going around:“Welcome Everyone, from the lefties at Kos and Crooks and Liars, to the Righties from Michelle Malkin, the Political Teen, and many others. Look around, Democrats get annoyed, Republicans laugh, but everyone enjoy! You are all welcome to come back anytime you like.”
And as MSNBC surmises:
I wonder if we may be seeing the beginning of the end of the cable news pundits. If people will look to bloggers for news analysis, can the news go back to just being the news?
However, the decline in viewership and readers from MSM news sources has worried the “Old Media”. Many in the blogosphere know that their time is up and wish to compete against the MSM. The Pajama Media , will be will be one of those upstart ventures. The Blog News Service is on the way.
Many of us dream of a day when we take the media head on and replace them, or at least offer a viable alternative that competes on an even basis. The Wall Street Journal just recently had a brilliant article on “How Old Media Can Survive In a New World“.
The digital revolution threatens to push the traditional newspaper, television, radio, music and advertising industries into the dustbin of history. Here’s what they might do to avoid the fate.
There’s no question: Traditional media businesses are struggling.
Newspaper publishers, book publishers, movie studios, music companies, ad agencies, television networks — they’re all trying to figure out how they fit into a new-media world. Their old way of doing business isn’t as profitable as it used to be, but they haven’t found a new way that’s as profitable, either.
The TV anchors and Network TV has also come under assault from the internet and blogs.
Instead of sending NBC News anchor Brian Williams to cover a tsunami after the fact, networks could broadcast current reportage from Indonesian news agencies that know the territory.
Audiences might respond to the authenticity and novelty of the content. “People aren’t going to the Internet because it looks like a newspaper,” Mr. Ellin says. “It’s because they’re getting something exotic and fresh and new and unfiltered. It’s like eating French cheese. It hasn’t been pasteurized. And it’s good.”
The six broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, UPN and the WB — are facing big threats. Aside from the ascent of cable channels and video games, there’s the evolution of the DVD and the birth of broadband and wireless technologies — not to mention the creation of satellite radio, high-definition TV and digital video recorders like TiVo. In 1978, the three original broadcast networks captured about 90% of the prime-time audience. Today, it’s less than 50%.
However, if any of us thought the media would do this they most likely would have already gone in that direction. By the looks of the analysis and comments from MSM outlets such as MSNBC, blogs are having an incredible affect in media and we may just be turning the corner.
Update: Wow, if MSNBC wonders if we may be seeing the beginning of the end of the cable news pundits if people will look to bloggers for news analysis, then what must they think of Rip and Read?
Zarqawi evacuated from Iraq
A militant Islamic Web site that is frequently used by Iraq al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi states that he was evacuated from Iraq after being injured. Previously, the site had indicated that he was wounded, now Zarqawi may have fled Iraq.
An Islamic Web site statement claimed Wednesday that Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida’s point man in Iraq, has fled to a “neighboring country” with two Arab doctors treating him for gunshot wounds to his lung.
The claims authenticity could not be confirmed. The site used to carry messages from al-Qaida, but has fallen out of use recently. Soon, the statement appeared on another militant site, where other posters quickly denounced it as untrue and unauthorized by the terror group.
Also Wednesday, the Iraqi government said security forces have killed Sabhan Ahmad Ramadan, a senior al-Zarqawi aide in northern Iraq.
Ramadan, also known as Agha Abu Saad, was killed as he was manning a checkpoint in the northern province of Nineveh, the government said in a statement. It added that Ramadan was a leading aide to Abu Talha — the head of operations in Mosul for al-Zarqawi and his al-Qaida in Iraq terror group.
Wednesday’s message from somebody identified only as al-Khalidi — the same name as somebody who used the site regularly in the past — said the information was based on accounts of “brothers close to the holy warriors in Iraq and who are in contact with them.” He did not elaborate.
Rusty at the Jawa Report also has a great round up and update coverage on the possible movement of Zarqawi. From the UPI comes the following:
A militant Islamic Web site reported Wednesday Iraq al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was evacuated from Iraq after being injured.
Zarqawi`s group, al-Qaida Organization in Mesopotamia, said in a statement carried on the site Zarqawi was moved secretly to a neighboring country with the help of doctors from the Arab Peninsula and the Sudan.
The group did not identify the country to which Zarqawi was evacuated but said he is in a stable condition after a bullet pierced the right side of his chest causing breathing problems.
Also from the Scotsman,
Today’s statement said al-Zarqawi “was secretly smuggled to a neighbouring country a few days ago in a complicated and organised operation.” It did not identify the country.
It said al-Zarqawi was in “stable condition now” after he incurred a “bullet wound which penetrated his right lung.”
As posted the other day upon the original stories that Zarqawi was injured comes the issue that many of these accounts have not yet been confirmed or verified.
The Jawa Report has a great analysis of events and Updates that need to be seen. Also the 1754 Blog has an interesting analysis that Zarqawi may have fled to Syria. With the many unconfirmed stories I tend to go along with “Terrorism Unveiled” that this may be a “misinformation” ploy. The US military has been ratcheting up the heat and may just be hitting to close to Zarqawi’s home. I would love to be proved wrong and hear confirmation that sepsis as set in and Zarqawi has one of the many maladies referenced by Ace of Spades
Others keeping up with Zarqawi’s where-a-bouts are Terrorism Unveiled, T. Longren, and Wizbang.
Update: Roger L. Simon has some interesting perspectives on the big picture.
Media Love fest with John Mc Cain
Everyone always asks, “what is wrong with the main stream media?” The answer is they seldom get it right and express their opinions in such a glass bubble that the rest of America just sits back and scratches their head. Add to the long line of how can the media be so obtuse the article by David Broder, ‘The Senate’s Real Leader’.
Who could not have guessed that the media would gush over Senator John Mc Cain as the real leader of the Senate? The school girl crush that the MSM has with Mc Cain pretty much nauseates the rest of America. Of course Broder has become one of those journalist that you just take the opposite opinion or prediction of and you make out like a bandit. How could anyone get it so wrong?
The Monday night agreement to avert a showdown vote over judicial filibusters not only spared the Senate from a potentially ruinous clash, but also certified John McCain as the real leader of that body.
Real leader? He got the support of 7 Republicans who are in search of a spine today. Leader? I would dare say Mr. Broder that both Frist & Reid have more support than Mc Cain. All Mc Cain accomplished was to piss off the Republican base. Is it any wonder how clueless the MSM is that they would think that gaining the support of spineless Senators is somehow a power grab.
In contrast to Majority Leader Bill Frist, who was unable to negotiate a compromise with Minority Leader Harry Reid or hold his Republicans in line to clear the way for all of President Bush’s nominees to be confirmed, McCain looks like the man who achieved his objectives.
Achieved objectives? There was nothing achieved except to delay the inevitable. People of conviction and strength do not put issues off for others to deal with. They take them head on no matter what the consequences. This is why America respects President Bush. Like him or not, to take on such massive issues like terrorism, social security and tax reform rather than leaving the problem for future generations should be applauded. The left may disagree with his policies; however, at least he is willing to confront the problem. All John Mc Cain did was accomplish another photo op so he could be in the lime light for all the MSM.
Who does not think that the filibuster issue will rear its ugly head from Democrats at the first Supreme Court nomination? Every body knows it will come to a head upon President Bush’s Supreme Court nomination. The only objective accomplished was to prolong the judicial filibuster issue instead of be accountable and deal with it now.
The success of the “Gang of 14″ was a rare and welcome triumph over the antagonisms that have been so deeply rooted in the political generation that came of age in the 1960s and 1970s, when the nation was torn by conflicts over civil rights, women’s rights, abortion and, most of all, Vietnam.
Obviously Broder does not get out much and listen to what Republicans think of the 14 invertebrates that have become affectionately known in circles as the “Filthy 14″ or in the seven Republican’s case, “The Seven Dwarf’s“. There is a reason why many dislike the compromise. Whether you be on the right or the left; people want their politicians to stand for something. Not just make deals for the sake of pleasantries. The left and right have actually found common ground on this issue. Something that does not happen all that often.
Atrios gets it right in a perfect example of how the left and right can agree on certain things. We both know a farce when we see one and a media contrived event.
More importantly, it just isn’t the case that the electorate is especially enamored with compromise.
McCain’s popularity, largely a media creation thanks to friendly copy written by happy well-lubricated journalists during his primary run, had nothing to do with his being a “moderate” or a “compromiser.”
Let us go back to the 2004 Presidential Election and remember the constant MSM drumbeat of the “UNDECIDED” swing vote. In the end no one cared about these people. If they couldn’t make their mind up a week before an election after one of the most media blitzed campaigns; who could count on them?
Note to news media: John Mc Cain is a leader of nothing but maybe his own press clippings. He is a legend in his own mind pumped up as the Republican media darling. The majority of Americans whether regardless of what political side they are from do not want a leader who compromises. They want someone with a strong vision who can take that plan and implement it to make America better. Is it ever any wonder why Senators are never elected President. The filibuster compromise is all the example one needs to understand why.
Sex Offenders Receive Viagra on the Tax Payers, Government Reacts
States have been told to bar Medicaid paid Viagra for sex offenders or face sanction. In a reaction to the hideous story that came out earlier this week that sex offenders were receiving Viagra and other similar medications paid on the tax payer’s dime; lawmakers moved Tuesday to eliminate this disgraceful loophole.
Lawmakers moved Tuesday to eliminate federal payments for Viagra and other drugs that treat impotence, as a federal agency warned states that they could face sanctions if they don’t end Medicaid coverage for such drugs for convicted sex offenders.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated Tuesday that Medicaid spends about $38 million a year on erectile dysfunction drugs, all but $2 million for Viagra.
More than 400 convicted sex offenders in New York and Florida were reimbursed for the drugs. The Medicaid agency issued its directive after New York Comptroller Alan Hevesi announced Sunday that from 2000 through March, 198 rapists and other high-risk sex offenders in New York received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after their convictions.
It is hard to imagine that such a loophole could be overlooked in the initial bill. I’m glad our legislators are looking at laws from all angles.
Providing the drugs to sex offenders could “constitute fraud, abuse or inappropriate use of Medicaid funds,” he wrote.
“Failure to perform such a review and implement appropriate controls may result in sanctions,” the letter said.
I am going to go one further an applaud Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa proposal. Medicaid was not intended to be all things to all people. It is to provide minimal care to those who cannot afford healthcare. There are far greater medications, services and better usage of Medicaid funds that could be provided to Medicaid recipients than Viagra. There are commercial group insurance paid plans that don’t cover such medications, why should tax payers have to pay for others to have this drug covered? Let’s just say there is a better Medicaid “bang for the buck”, that should be implemented and Senator Grassley is on the right path.
That’s too much for Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who introduced legislation that would eliminate all federal payments, both Medicaid and Medicare, for these drugs.
Absent a ban, he said, Medicaid and Medicare would spend $2 billion on impotence drugs between 2006 and 2015.
“We live in a world of limited resources, and those dollars could be spent more wisely,” said Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
Legislation introduced in the House in early February with 29 co-sponsors would exclude coverage for Viagra under the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
Previous post: New York, Your Tax Dollars Hard at Work
Howard Dean; A Man of the Black People
The hits keep on coming from Howard “where were all the minorities during my primary run” Dean. Another week, another inane set of comments. It is hard to not think that Howard Dean has not become a caricature of himself. Where does SNL start and the real Dean begin? Fresh off his weekend stint on Meet the Press comes Howard Dean; I understand the black people because I was governor of Vermont.
Black voters are upset with the Democratic Party for coming around just weeks before elections seeking their votes, party chairman Howard Dean said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press. Taking black voters for granted is a long-standing problem for the party that dates to the 1960s, said Dean, who promised changes in strategy even as he cited diversity at the top of the Democratic National Committee.
“African-Americans are annoyed with the Democratic Party because we ask them for their votes four weeks before the election instead of being in the community now and that’s a mistake I’m trying to fix,” he said.
Some how the man who was Governor of a state with 0.5% blacks has found the formula for the Democratic party to not take the black vote for granted? This coming from the man who had no blacks in his cabinet while being the Governor of Vermont.
Civil rights activist Al Sharpton forced Dean to acknowledge that no blacks or Hispanics served in his cabinet during 12 years as governor.
“No, we did not,” conceded Dean, whose state has a population that is nearly 98 percent white.
What a short memory you have Dr. Dean. I remember the last time you decided to lecture people on race you got put in your place rather handily.
”If you want to lecture people on race, you ought to have the background and track record to do that,” Al Sharpton snapped at the Democratic presidential front-runner in an emotionally charged exchange in the final debate before next week’s kickoff Iowa caucuses.
Dean, an expert on minority relations is just another amusing antidotes in a long line of comic relief provided by the dear Doctor. I guess Dr Dean has also forgot about his comments regarding the Confederate flag when he said, “I still want to be the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks.”
Lieberman admonished Dean to watch his words. “Governor Dean ought to be more careful about what he says,” he said. “It is irresponsible and reckless to loosely talk about one of the most divisive, hurtful symbols in American history.”
What is most amazing is that Dean would be annoyed by the Democratic Party’s outreach to blacks. When has Howard Dean ever had to reach out to any in his past political races? I am sure that the 0.5% black population in Vermont was not a sought after voting block. Then when he ran on a national level during the Democratic Primaries he managed to constantly put his foot in his mouth and irritate black voters. I guess Dean also forgot this speech from Darmouth University after he claimed he wanted to be the candidate of guys with the Confederate flag. So is Howard Dean, the first black DNC Chairman, ala Bill Clinton (the first black President) going to address the NAACP and spell out his plan that includes blacks within the Democratic party conscience 24-7-365? Howard Dean has about as much business speaking on this topic as John Kerry did calling himself a man of the common people. What will next week bring from Howard Dean? We can’t wait. Where does my thank you card get mailed again to the Democratic Party for electing this man DNC Party Chair again?
