This is an issue on which I have flip-flopped - like John Kerry and John McCain I was for it before I was against it before I was for it before I . . . well, you get the idea - and I am shifting in the particular winds of our current troubles to thinking that, in fact, there is a utility to addressing issues, not so much of bias in the news (at least ideological bias), so much as questions of simple erroneous reporting. This is why, for example, I think it serves little purpose to highlight the most egregious examples of right-wing nonsense (Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage) as Media Matters continues to do. On the other hand, I think Spocko's battle with KSFO is a more appropriate approach - frought with hazards as the case proves. It is not enough to simply highlight the most awful political pornography, but to actually do something about it - in Spocko's case, send emails including clips, to show the sponsors what their money is paying for.
On the other hand, Media Matters, The Daily Howler, and, as a specific example, this from Greg Sargent at TPMmuckraker, do serve the public by highlighting the ways in which the limited intellect, certain personal and institutionals biases, and just plain stupidity (the piece by Sargent shows not so much Millbank's stupidity as intellectual dishonesty in service to a bias against Sen. Clinton). I say this because I see the effects of such reporting uopn the public. I doubt we shall see a change in journalistic practices any time soon, but at least we will have watchdogs to make sure that any serious nonsense is called out.
I also see the ways in which reporting on the net has an actual effect on the way our elected leaders behave, and it was on display today in a Senate hearing room. Josh Marshall has been all over the story of the replacement of close to a dozen US Attorneys by the DoJ under a provision of the USAPatriot Act. In one case, in San Diego, the replacement is a political hack with direct ties to Karl Rove. This story, which would have fallen below the radar of traditional media because of its obvious obscurity and seeming lack of relevance to most Americans, has not been let go, and today Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez was questioned, indeed "grilled" is an appropriate term of art in this case, on this issue, and his dodges were not up to the persistence of the Senators.
I am not completely covinced of the efficacy of all such reporting and careful scrutiny of the press. I do think, however, that when it is done well - and Joshua Marshall does it very, very well - it becomes a kind of meta-journalism, giving us information stripped of institutional bias, beholden to no agenda other than a recognition that government exists to serve the public interest. There is a healthy skepticism without the faux cynicism of so much of our Washington Press Corps, too many of whom think they have it all figured out.
I am sure my mind will change again at some other time, perhaps when I fail to see results from all the efforts of various members of the internet community. For now, however, I think the work ispaying off, so my pragmatic support for such efforts will continue.
