Bloggers Hand Fox News Its Ass

Posted by Melissa McEwan, Shakesville at 4:31 AM on August 13, 2008.

The independent blogosphere has had a tremendous hand in discrediting the Fox News brand.

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I'm exceedingly reluctant to give the political blogosphere more credit than it's due, and I'm generally disposed toward questioning its supposed influence, but Boehlert makes a damn strong case here for one example where the progressive blogosphere blazed a very important trail:

[B]loggers and the entire netroots movement have damaged the Fox News brand and sent a clear signal to Beltway institutions such as the Commission on Presidential Debates that any attempt to bring Fox News into the mainstream, to bestow it with unearned legitimacy, will be met with active protests.

… Bloggers deserve the credit because the pushback they initiated was something that members of the Democratic Party had, for years, refused to do. Instead, they adopted a go-along/get-along strategy with Fox News, hoping that if they were nice (and cooperative) with Fox News, then Fox News would be nice (and cooperative) in response.

Indeed, without the online campaign, do you think the head of the Democratic National Committee would have appeared on Fox News and publicly denounced its coverage as being "shockingly biased" the way Howard Dean did in May? I doubt it, since for years Democrats, and particularly the inside-the-Beltway party leaders, acquiesced.

… For online activists, the idea of the Democratic Party itself anointing Fox News as some sort of standard-bearer for election coverage was too much.

Read the whole thing.

Tagged as: blogosphere, fox news, democratic party, progressive bloggers

Melissa McEwan writes and edits the blog Shakespeare's Sister.

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Pelosi's turn [Report this comment] Posted by: Lauren on Aug 13, 2008 7:02 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I can't believe she is saying there is no evidence of a crime and she hasn't read the impeachment articles yet! She missed Suskind? Also AlterNet, skip the stories about sex, lets talk about government corruption. We need an impeachment. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: Pelosi's turn Posted by: Lauren » RE: Pelosi's turn Posted by: OneSpirit Like insults bouncing off armor! [Report this comment] Posted by: LionHeart on Aug 13, 2008 7:02 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] If this were true then why is Fox News still the top cable news program? Bloggers can only do so much. I'm sure the majority of Amreicans do not even know bloggs exist nor do they care. Fox just marches on! We really need to hit advertisers if we want to make a difference! [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: Like insults bouncing off armor! Posted by: willymack » RE: Like insults bouncing off armor! Posted by: luckypuck Thankful For Bloggosphere [Report this comment] Posted by: grokagain on Aug 13, 2008 10:22 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] While I cannot speak to the overall influence of the internet and the bloggosphere (and I don't know how accurately others can unless extensive studies have been done) I can say that the influence on me has been huge, and much appreciated. I live in a very small town in Kentucky; very poor, very "republican". Imagine the delusion that generally grips our countries citizens concerning our place in the world today and multiply it times 100... you get an idea of what it's like here. I mean, we have a Creationist Museum for Gods sake (pun intended). If I did not have access to sights such as Alternet, ZNet, Informationclearinghouse etc... I would feel lost, isolated and would have to question my own sanity (as opposed to questioning everyone elses as I do now, lol). The bloggosphere's influence on me has been immeasurable and has the potential to reach tens of millions indoctrinated into our uber materialistic capitalistic paradigm. For this reason I fully expect continued attacks by the powers that be. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] KENTUCKY YOU HAVEN'T TRIED OKLAHOMA. I'M TAKING EVEN MONEY THAT MCCAIN [Report this comment] Posted by: Raymond Emerson on Aug 13, 2008 1:23 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] takes Oklahoma and I don't have a single taker. Yes, the bloggosphere is a godsend for those of us out in the hinterlands. Is it going to move any votes into the Obama column? It won't in Oklahoma. These persons in these little towns have been taught since early childhood to be obedient to authority. The republicans tell them what to do. They follow. In a democracy you do the telling, not the listening. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Oklahoma, Kentucky and good ole Tennessee [Report this comment] Posted by: Grandma Crabby on Aug 13, 2008 7:26 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I was raised in Oklahoma and now have lived in Tennesee for the last 20 years. Geez, am I sick of rednecks! Lots of the people out here think Fox news is wonderful. They think everything said on Fox is brilliant and truthful. They really do, I am not kidding. They fall for all of it. My neighbor keeps trying to convince me that Obama is a secret Muslim. She thinks I am the one that is nuts and just won't accept the cold, hard truth! When I taught TV production at a local high school, my students told me I was so hopelessly liberal that I was incapable of realizing how good Fox was and how "liberally biased" all the rest of the media was. So much for respecting the expertise of the teacher. But to put things in perspective, these people also eat fried hog intestines and screw sheep. Luv, Granny http://www.youtube.com/user/Whoopteedoo [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] If the Commission on Presidential Debates [Report this comment] Posted by: TruthBeTold on Aug 13, 2008 8:30 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] wanted the debates to be all about the candidates and not about the moderators it would not have choosen Tom Brokaw and Bob Schieffer. Schieffer has been carying water for the Bush administration (along being a family golfing buddy) and Brokaw demonstrated his lack of class during his interview with Obama. On national TV no less. Brit Hume and Chris Wallace are a disgrace to journalism and it has nothing to do with the fact that they receive paychecks from Fox News. And as far as CNN goes, except for all of the flashing and blinking lights and screens, it is not that much different from Fox. They carried water for Bush, Cheney and the republican party, same as CBS, ABC, NBC and the cable channels. They are now obviously carrying water for John McCain. Who wants to take bets that Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer, Brit Hume and Chris Wallace did not attend the John McCain barbeque and chicken fry. Wonder which talking head from CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, Fox and MSNBC did not attend. I'm willing to bet that Kieth O. wasn't invited. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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