If you haven’t decided to invest a few minutes of your valuable time to figure out exactly what blogging is, maybe this is the time to do it.
Blogging, for better or worse, may have just changed the world.
It’s not an extraordinary act when a news organization admits a mistake, but what CBS and Dan Rather did on Monday was extraordinary.
They admitted that they no longer can vouch for the authenticity of documents used to support a story about President Bush’s Vietnam War-era National Guard service, a topic that could swing a close election.
It largely happened because of bloggers.
Before getting into the bloggers that took down CBS, let’s explore two questions that I imagine some people have right now, since blogging is really still in its infancy.
First, what is a blog?
Second, why is it called a blog?
“Blog” comes from “Web log,” which is simply an online journal published by just about anyone for all to see. Blogs typically consist of diaries from one or more authors as well as links to other blogs and Web sites.
If you didn’t know that, don’t be embarrassed. I’m sure most of you have much more fulfilling lives than bloggers, most of whom spend much of their free time sitting at a computer.
Never mind that I just described my job, but I digress.
The blogging community, which calls itself the blogosphere, is riding high because a few bloggers are deservedly taking credit for shining a spotlight on the documents CBS used in its “60 Minutes II” piece. Soon after the show aired, bloggers began questioning the authenticity of the documents, which ignited a frenzy of allegations that led to CBS’ apology Monday. Everybody is served when the truth comes out, so it appears that in this case the bloggers performed a valuable public service.
Their motives may not have been so pure.
The blogger credited with making the biggest stink was somebody named “Buckhead,” who was posting his theories on a blog called freerepublic.com.
Turns out, according to the Los Angeles Times, that “Buckhead” is Harry MacDougald, an Atlanta lawyer with ties to conservative Republican causes, something he resisted disclosing when asked.
The Chicago Tribune reported Sunday that “Mike,” the operator of a blog called rathergate.com, is a 29-year-old Republican political operative named Mike Krempasky.
Neither of these bloggers did anything wrong by pursuing the truth, but they are a great example of why bloggers need to be scrutinized as closely as they scrutinized CBS.
Bloggers should never have any more restrictions placed on their right to free speech than that of any other individual or organization, there’s no question about that. But they should disclose who they are or who they work for so we can make our own decisions about their opinions
The argument is being made now that newspapers and television–the “old media”–are going to have to shape up or be exposed by these bloggers, or the “new media.”
It’s an argument buoyed by their triumph over CBS, which it seems has given them an enormously inflated sense of importance, at least at the moment.
But as bloggers grow in popularity, they’re also going to have to start behaving responsibly or lose their credibility, just like any member of the “old media.”
One of the pleasures of writing a newspaper column is hearing back from readers, whether they agree with my opinion or not. Actually, especially if they don’t.
But just as I put my name at the top of the column, and an e-mail address at the bottom, I expect nothing less from people who write to me. Don’t disclose who you are, and it’s a lot harder to take your words seriously.
You should expect nothing less from bloggers who try to pass along information under a veil of anonymity.
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jgreenfield@tribune.com
