Gregory Djerejian, highly regarded lawyer and blogger, has strong words for Josh Marshall's blogging technique, in a post titled "Marshall's Not Shooting Straight".
Troubling. Personally, I do not like the "L" word. Sorry, the other "L" word. Although I do not write for a living, it is clear that folks who do are under a peculiar pressure - extremism sells. Ann Coulter gets more attention with her books than Bill Kristol does (Yes, he has written some - who knew?)
Paul Krugman presumably got a nice payday with his collection of screeds. Or, as another example, Richard Clarke of 9/11 fame hyped (and went beyond) the most inflammatory parts of his book, according to TIME. (Lots more Clarke here).
It is a good guess that the folks most likely to reach into their wallet and support someone are hanging on the fringes of political discourse. That does not create an ethical dilemma for the activist websites, such as the Daily Kos - their goal is to call attention to their issues. If a particular post makes some noise, gets some attention, and spells most of the names right, then it is "Mission Acomplished". Competing for readers, attention, and cash in that environment can pose a problem for some.
Well. To explain is not to condone. And I had my own issues with Dr. Marshall last week.
MORE: In the last week an interesting article floated by talking about how the Daily Kos is dragging the Democrats to the outer fringes, in terms of rhetoric if not policy positions; it also noted that Ted Kennedy, and others, have even posted diaries there.
That would seem to tie in to my theme, but I can't find it. [And here it is - Dean Barnett of the Weekly Standard, " The Electoral-Based Community / Why the rise of the left-wing blogosphere has been bad for the Democratic party". Thanks for the help.]
I think this is what you are looking for
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/823tdfin.asp?pg=1
Cheers.
Posted by: AJStrata | July 17, 2005 at 07:34 PM
Here's a link to the article (assuming this is the correct one), and this is the author's commentary.
Posted by: Austin | July 17, 2005 at 07:56 PM
Have you (or anyone) noticed the TPM post of July 16 10:44 PM quoting from a WaPo article of December 03 that mentions the Gannon/Wilson interview? His final question: "And how did it get into the hands of Jeff Gannon?"
I guess we won't be seeing Josh Marshall in a "what kind of man reads JustOneMinute" feature.
Posted by: Joe Mealyus | July 17, 2005 at 08:13 PM
Sorry, if my last comment was unclear, Josh M.'s "it" refers to a "secret document," not a rustling copy of the Wall Street Journal.
Posted by: Joe Mealyus | July 17, 2005 at 08:18 PM
"Although I do not write for a living, it is clear that folks who do are under a peculiar pressure - extremism sells."
But as JustOneMinute comments often prove, a blogger can write in the most even-handed and cautious of tones and his or her commenters will ignore that and bring their extremism with them. And it's all the same to the blogger in terms of rattling tipjars and enfilading blogads bringing in the dosh.
(No, I don't really have a point).
Posted by: Joe Mealyus | July 17, 2005 at 08:44 PM
"Lies" is pretty strong, but Greg D. makes it pretty clear that Josh is peddling a storyline that is utterly compromised by the facts.
Posted by: Crank | July 18, 2005 at 10:54 AM
You can tell all you need to know about Josh Marshall by reading his Yellow Cake storyline from June through July of last year, as Joe Wilson disintegrated. Check it out. It won't take long.
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Posted by: kim | July 19, 2005 at 08:00 AM