THE PARTISAN BLOGOSPHERE….Via Jim Henley comes this observation about the blogosphere from Radley Balko:
The most remarkable thing about blogs and the 2004 campaign was just how ready formerly independent voices on both sides were willing to spew out official campaign talking points, eschew criticism of their own guy, and otherwise fell into line in order to get their man elected.
That doesn’t seem very remarkable to me. In fact, I would have found it remarkable if it hadn’t happened.
There’s a point to be made here about the “independent” blogosphere, too. Namely that it’s anything but. In fact, the political blogosphere is far more partisan than any organ of the mainstream media, more partisan than most op-ed pages, and most of the time more partisan than even the overtly political magazines. The blogosphere is about the most partisan and least independent voice this side of talk radio.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that….
UPDATE: In comments, much of the discussion revolves around the question of what “independent” means. I take it that Balko is talking more about ideological independence than financial independence, and it’s in this sense that I don’t think the blogosphere is especially independent.
In fact, I railed about this a few months ago in a post complaining that bloggers seemed all too thrilled to be a cog in the parties’ spin machines. More here.
