Once upon a time, there was some idea that the blogosphere was the “new media”. Remember that? The citizens were going to keep government honest; it was going to be a haven from the blatant bias in our traditional media.
Clearly the bright shiny “new”ness has worn off the blogospheric penny (my emphasis):
Some of the leading liberal bloggers are privately furious with the major progressive groups — and in some cases, the Democratic Party committees — for failing to spend money advertising on their sites, even as these groups constantly ask the bloggers for free assistance in driving their message. [Snip]
The behind-the-scenes tensions go to the heart of the role these bloggers have created for themselves in Democratic politics — they’re basically advocates and operatives with big platforms — and their future role, too. They argue that their efforts and fundraising helped drive the Democratic ascendancy. Yet even the Dem party committees are reluctant to advertise with them, raising the question of whether the party will ever be willing to seriously invest long-term in this new media infrastructure. [Snip]
Adds John Amato, the founder of Crooks and Liars: “These groups actually believe that we should promote their stuff for free. Do they not understand that we need funds to sustain our viability?”
Viability? Perhaps. But credibility? Not so much.
This concept has been known and despised forever. It even has a name: propaganda.
It’s the longest four-letter word in the dictionary.