As a frequent and vocal critic of Ezra Klein for reasons I won’t revive now, it pains me to note that he is practically the lone voice of reason in the series of JournoList installments from the Daily Caller. The focus this time is a discussion of message coordination for team Obama, i.e. should the JournoList come right out and overtly collude on media strategy to help him win?After the idea is floated by Luke Mitchell of Harpers, Klein comes in and slaps it down:
Nope, no message coordination. I’m not even sure that would be legal. This is a discussion list, though, and I want it to retain that character…
It’s almost enough to make me wonder if Klein’s problem isn’t dishonesty but self-deception. Perhaps his motives for this monstrosity really were academic. Perhaps, at some deep level he is reticent to now express, he too is disappointed at what it actually became. There must have been a moment when it first began that truly was inspiring and hopeful…
IT”S ALIVE!
Dr. Franken-Klein wanted to delve into the mysteries of journalistic sources and minutiae. He never intended to create a monster of leftist media manipulation which would destroy everything he loved. It just worked out that way.
But before you shed too many tears on his behalf, remember that this group went on this way for years. At some point long before last month, Klein should have surveyed what he’d created and realized what needed to be done. For instance, this sort of talk from Todd Gitlin of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has all the subtlety of neck bolts:
On the question of liberals coordinating, what the hell’s wrong with some critical mass of liberal bloggers & journalists saying the following among themselves:
“McCain lies about his maverick status. Routinely, cavalierly, cynically. Palin lies about her maverick status. Ditto, ditto, ditto. McCain has a wretched temperament. McCain is a warmonger. Palin belongs to a crackpot church and feels warmly about a crackpot party that trashes America…
Again. And again. Vary the details. There are plenty. Somebody on the ‘list posted a strong list of McCain lies earlier today. Hammer it. Philosophize, as Nietzsche said, with a hammer. I don’t know about any of you, but I’m not waiting for any coordination. Get on with it!
This is a professor of journalism at one of the most high profile J-schools in the nation. If this isn’t enough to convince skeptics that media bias is a problem, nothing is. At the very least, JournoList was too dangerous to journalism to be allowed to survive.
Does this make me part of the torch bearing mob? I suppose it does. But that formulation comes mostly from James Whales’ film version which explicitly makes the monster a childlike victim. It was a bastardization of the source material to serve a liberal political message. And yet, even in Whales’ version, the mob had reason to be angry.







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Cool.
Another JournoList thread.
I guess this is another thread just to poke and prod the liberal/progressive bloggers out there right?
I mean, we're really going to change the J schools by these threads, and by doing nothing to replace these fools, right?
Talk/blogging is cheap.
Give us something actionable.
The more buzz that points out the problem (Liberal Bias of the Media – here the example of J Schools), the harder it is for people at large to ignore.
I can always use more examples as ammo to point out how the "news" is being driven by an ideology.
I think you're being a little naive. Bloggers are doing their part, and doing a d*mn good one by going for the kill with Journolist.
It's much the same thing as winning arguments in academia – though the general public never knows or cares about the nuances of such arguments, the winning ideas usually end up having a lot more sway in the public arena. Such is the same with blogging,
JournoList is dead, Jim.
And nothing is changing because of the revelations of a vast anti-American/journalist conspiracy.
The mutations of MSM into propogandists for the Left has always been hinted at. With jounOlist we have confirmation of what was thought. Any news orginization with any modicum of intergrity would demand resignations from any of their employees on the list.
Investigations over suppression of facts and outright manipulation of truth deserves jail time. Seems quite evident sediton against the American people has occurred.
And to think, they're trying to destroy the journalistic integrity of Andrew Breitbart.
Repeating it doesn't make it true. If you think educating the public is counterproductive, then I surely wouldn't want to work for you, because I'd never make you happy.
These "JournoList", so called opinion makers, Klein being the face of them, are nothing more than Trolls .
like the ones we have here, only more virulent ….
Spewing their water muddy-ing drivil, aimed to throw us off our game, so we lose confidence.
That's unlikely to happen, as long as there are thoughtful commenters on our side to set the record straight.
Never allowing the Leftist lies to get their shoes tied, as the real truth goes 'round the world….
Thanks John, for helping to keep the truth going non-stiop 24/7
End the meme of "Republicans are racist" by the radical leftist media and take back America.
DRAFT HERMAN CAIN 2012!
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It would be convenient if it would go away, I suppose. I mean, for the left, that is. But this information needs to come out. This is a very fair article, pointing out Klein's apparent motive and his lack of control over what actually happened. But, to some, any talk of the JournoList is 'old news'. Not so. Every single bit of it needs to come out so people can know how and when they were deceived.
It's not pretty or flashy, but educating the public on the truth is crucial. Are you a member of JournoList, Hesed? Because you do have their 'sweep it under the rug' attitude down cold.
the major media, academia, et. al., do not need to conspire to promote the leftist agenda any more than geese need to conspire to fly in a "V"- it's just what they're hardwired to do. having said that, it's still fun to catch them up to their armpits in the Vast Leftwing Conspiracy cookie jar once in awhile…
The first mention of JournoList that I've seen on the AOL front page was an opinion piece yesterday titled, "Time to Get Over JournoList Flap". The first mention.
This is why these archives need to be made public and the investigation by alt-media needs to continue full force. We already know their game plan by what they put in their list remarks. They'll sweep it under the rug if they can. They can't be allowed to.
Ezra Klein is really cute, but dumb as a box of hair.
Progressivism is insect mentality, and it's plain to see that the JournoListers are nothing more than termites, doing the dirty work for the ruling queens by eating away at the framework of our Republic. Like all nasty little bugs they need a good stompin'.
The collaboration is still going on. Listen to the MSM silence.
Here's how it goes: ignore the story until the crisis passes, then say it's old news, moveon. The collaboration continues.
Who teaches at J school?
Who goes to J school?
Who goes into journalism?
People who want to influence the public by framing and directing the discussion The professors are the gatekeepers to the profession so guess what ( like minded) students get promoted. And then there's tenure…….
BTW I was in a club once where I enjoyed everyone. Then people brought in people, and then they brought in people until it was unrecognizable. AND THEN I QUIT.
Sarah Palin wrote in her Facebook page today: "This JournoList exchange exposes the warped nature of today’s media, thus explaining why many of us are forced, in fairness to the public, to utilize other mediums to communicate until the mainstream media wakes up and begins respecting the public’s intelligence and desire for truth in reporting."
I totally agree. And the members of the mainstream media wonders why they are no longer trusted by the general public, especially after that shameful display they put on during the 2008 election. And no wonder people are turning to the Internet and FOX News in droves, IN DROVES, to find out what's really happening out there. For his part in this conspiracy, I hope Ezra Klein is fired and has to go through the dumpsters at KFC for his next square meal. Shame on him and all who took part in this wretched scandal.
The only thing Klein regrets is that he got nailed. Remember, this Man-Child initially defended his Special People's Club, and then just clammed up. Don't doubt for a moment that this coordination is going full bore now, and in all likelihood Klein is part of it. Whale also had the monster kill a little girl, who symbolized innocence, and drop her into a pond. Klein's monster strangled the faith Americans had in journalism, but it was much smaller than that kid was.
This is the biggest non-story of all time,but keep bringing the Journolist smack! I love seeing you guys get giddy over this. It's so cute!
Sexton mentions Todd Gitlin & Ezra Klein. Here are some more names that pop up on JournoList
Katha Pollitt
Joe Klein
Chris Hayes
Paul Krugman
Eric Alterman
You know what those folks are paid to do? Write Editorials, Opinion pieces,columns,go on tv to argue from a liberal perspective. They're all openly partisan, they don't pretend to be objective dispassionate journalists.
What has the leaking of Journolist shown us? Gasp! Liberal editorial columnists who write opinion columns, have, like,liberal opinions! And that sometimes opinionated people bounce ideas off each other! Noooooooo! Didn't see that coming. Yet Sexton and the rest of the breitbots act like this is some sort of major revelation? You've uncovered the equivalent of 'The Parallax View',the greatest conspiracy in history is revealed! Liberals who say and write liberal opinions are liberals!!!! Next you'll be telling me that some of the commenters who post on Free Republic are conservatives.
Is this the John Sexton who went to Benedictine writing this piece? You might want to go back to high school and learn the meaning of the words "opinion" and "editorial" before posting your next piece of political excrement here.
Two Points-Communsim usually generally gets results the exact opposite of there stated intentions (2) Franken-klien , like all his fellow commies, regrets only that hes been exposed. Dont forget-roughly half the American population has no idea what the Jouno-list even is, due to the cons[iracy of the communsit media to manipulate public opinion. The fact that 45% of the public will still vote for the commiedems is proof of that,
Liberty-I wish him even worse-maybe the rest of his life in the same cell with Khalid Sheik Mohamhead for starters. Then pushed out of a plane without a parachute into the middle of the anuual great white shark convention.
Hey Einstein, a journalism professor is not a opinion columnist, neither is Ezra. There are over 400 members of Jounolist and you name 5 that are opinion writers. The story is the coordination to distribute the progressive agenda and stop any right wingers that get in the way. The excrement is flowing from you Hayseed.
"Non-story." Translation: You people shut us, this is killing us!
In the rare chance you care, many of Journolist were faux "reporters" and academics, although I agree with you they were opinion writers in disguise.
Ezra Klein comes off as the voice of reason on Journolist because he fears the legal and professional consequences of this collusion AS THE OWNER AND CREATOR OF JOURNOLIST. He is just looking out for himself when he sees all the unethical and illegal actions of HIS CREATION.
John Blevins, "Professor of Constitutional History" at South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, is a proud member of Journolist. He teaches students and grades them based upon their willingness to regurgitate his personal Communist monologues. Woe be to those who disagree because they are automatically racist.
All bright-eyed and bushy tailed, he, along with his co-conspirators will one day be in the unemployment line.
This brings up the old adage "opinions are like assholes, everybody has one. I firmly believe that in order to keep an open mind one has to access more than one of these assholes and make an informed decision. Im not a saint by any means , but Im no idiot either. The one thing that resonated through the last Presidential election despite all the media bias was—Hope and Change–He never said what—Yes we Can–He never said what—-Lets just hit fast forward for a second—Now these idiots have what they wanted and theyre either discontent or lying their asses off to hide it! The last time I checked–Treason " is a crime punishable by death and I certainly hope (for these guys anyway) They arent found guilty of "Treason" or even subversion–They forgot–This IS America!
Ezra Klein is an opinion columnist you breitbot. http://www.newsweek.com/authors/ezra-klein.html
I could've mentioned 5 or 500 people on that list, every name that's come out so far is someone who makes a living expressing opinions, not hard "objective" news.
A journalism professor makes a living expressing opinions? I guess that is what is wrong with our journalsim schools.
wohlfguy wrote:
"a journalism professor is not a opinion columnist"
I'm guessing wohlfguy is so ignorant of history that he never heard of Todd Gitlin. He was president of SDS 40 years ago and has been in the public eye ever since. No one who isn't retarded is under any delusion that Gitlin practices "objectivity".
He's written books that make his opinion obvious: http://www.amazon.com/Todd-Gitlin/e/B001IR3OV6/re...
And guess what wohlfguy,in addition to being a journalism prof.,Gitlin is an opinion columnist. Here are some examples: http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/06/books/hip-deep-...
http://www.tnr.com/blog/foreign-policy/75984/conf...
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/feature/2000/1...
wohlfguy,a typical breitbot moron.
Here's what John Tabin of the Commie-Socialist American Spectator says about Journolist:
"Everyone who has reason to be embarrassed by a direct quote in the Daily Caller's series on Journolist is an openly opinionated commentator. (The one partial exception is Jeffrey Toobin, who presents himself as a middle-of-the-road analyst on CNN, but his weaselly nature has always been pretty obvious.) Everyone who has been shown to have their work influenced by conversations on Journolist is, likewise, a commentator. That Chris Hayes tries to get perspective from other liberals before he goes on TV to opine on a topic, or that Joe Klein incorporates ideas from off-the-record exchanges into his blog posts, is not exactly earthshaking news. "
At least John Tabin isn't a breitbot like John Sexton and the rest of you.
Hey Hayseed a jounalism prof is supposed to be unbiased. He may not practice objectivity but he should. Again that is what is wrong with our schools; Politics trump truth. And enough of the name calling tough guy. You want to meet me, let me know. I will gladly oblige.
My God you people are desperate. "Everyone who has reason to be embarrassed by a direct quote in the Daily Caller's series on Journolist is an openly opinionated commentator." I haven't read all the direct quotes but I will assume this is so. This is hardly the same as your past implication everyone on Journolist was an opinion writer. But you know that, of course, so you grasped for straws.
As I previously wrote and agreed, everyone on Journolist was an opinion writer. That many claimed to be a reporter or academic—even if they had no reason to be embarrassed by a direct quote–matters little in that regard. I can't believe the left-wing believes it can still peddle its propaganda as unfiltered news. That rouse was up long before Journolist drove the last nail into American Pravda's coffin.
Hey, listen pal. You'd better zip it or I'll hit you over the head with autographed, bound copies of the collected talking points and suggested phrasing from Newt Gingrich and Frank Luntz, complete with annotated examples of their ad nauseum usages by the Zombified GOPeeps on their distribution lists! Don't MAKE me do it!!
Yes like the nonsensical "death tax." There is no such thing. Once you are dead, you cannot be taxed BECAUSE YOU DON'T EXIST!! Luntz gives the zombies their new "words" and they follow him off the cliff.
MyKu:
Again? Talk about
equine necro-pugilism.
On to next topic…
Ok, so like minded people, like we're doing here, are colluding together to further their purposes/agendas.
They feign objectivity, and most people know better, or ignore it.
Exposing a private group of emails/posts that exhibit conducting political work on the company payroll, really, what does it accomplish, besides a few maybe being reprimanded, reassigned, or one or two losing their jobs?
Does it wrest the power of the progressives from the journalism schools, teach the next generation true journalism, or make the public aware of the bias of the media when the media refuses to cover the story?
Does it help us to stop repeating the cycle?
Well if you haven't done so, check my post history before making lame accusations.
Sweep what under the rug? Proof of what we believe already, about the collusion of progressives/liberals to further their causes/agenda?
The challenge is getting the message out, and educating the next generation of journalists about standards of journalism and conflict of interest, bias, and reporting without interjecting your agenda/opinions to sway the readers/viewers.
The challenge is not complaining and pointing fingers, saying Oooh! Lookie lookie at the evil journalists who are a bunch of dems/progressives pushing their wares on their readers/viewers. That doesn't prove anything other than that which we already know.
The challenge is to work together to institute change in the schools and in the media outlets. It is to create change we can believe in.
Why not work on those areas which will take a generation or two to fix, rather than complaining with no change?
How many more examples do you need, before you check the sources and do the research for yourself?
We already know and accept that the news is overwhelmingly biased and agenda based.
If you're still depending on the old media for your sources of information, just stop it.
The bias/agenda is very very evident when you compare the real to the fake.
The MSM is silent about a lot of things.
Why isn't it big news on FOX for example? Sorry, but when that segment may come on, I'm sure many make the bathroom run, or flip channels.
JurnoList isn't a hard hitting news item, IMO.
There are laws against not including information by journalists, or laws against manipulating a story to make it sound better/worse?
Hadn't heard that one.
Sedition. Certainly you jest, or don't understand the term.
"most people know better"
I have to take issue with you there for two reasons.
1. Lots of people have their heads up there ***, and have neither the time nor inclination to do anything other than accept what they're told uncritically.
2. There's a big difference between suspecting collusion and having hard evidence that suggests the collusion is in fact far worse than you could have imagined.
As for how BJ is supposedly making a tactical error by focusing on journolist, I have two questions for you.
1. Seeing as we're being really nitpicky about wasting our time with what is effective vs. what is not, what do your complaints accomplish? I would point out that since you started posting about this Obama has not been impeached.
2. What in your opinion, should Big Journalism, a blog dedicated to taking down the MSM monolith, spend its time on rather than hard evidence of a conspiracy between supposedly objective "journalists"?
What Bed Bug Haywood won't admit to, is that all journalism is "opinion" to one degree or another. Progressive insects have used that fact to spin history for the last 100 years. It was spun before then too, but the progs have taken it to a whole nuther level. Name a current journalist who is totally objective. There are none, and that is why these bugs are so freaked out. We know that the ones on the far left, though they claim to be objective, are the worst offenders when it comes to "spin", and, lets face facts, outright lies. Oh, the best laid plans of mice and mosquitos, it's all crashing down around their antenna equipped heads.
Someone once wrote that history is just propaganda written by the victors. Our problem is that our honesty and commitment to equal protection of the law leaves the majority vulnerable to a zealous minority, a minority that wants to destroy our free society in order to implement their "hive mentality" society. If Bed Bug felt the way that it claims, would it really be here secreting it's vial pablum?
1. Cool. You're entitled to your opinion. It's easier to just go with the flow, yes.
2. In the end, the 'hard evidence' if the JournoList archive is exposed still has to be verified as those individuals and as relevant. Most people will look at it as much to do about nothing, as you really don't see anyone policing the news/media outlets for objectivity.
Never said BJ was supposedly making a tactical error.
PART 1 http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/07...
Cindy Sheehan Says Stop Voting for Either Wing of the War Party, Calls for Impeaching Obama
July 21st, 2010 · 26 Comments
Via On The Wilder Side:Requiem for the Antiwar Movement by Cindy Sheehan
PART 2
During the campaign, many colleagues and friends of mine, assured me that Obama was just saying this hostile crap to “get elected” and once he was elected that he would “do the right thing.” Well, first of all, why support such a pandering Jackwagon, and secondly, how has that ever worked? Three days after Obama swore to uphold and defend the Constitution, he drone-bombed a “target” in Pakistan killing 3 dozen civilians—and since that day he has elevated the art of drone bombings to new heights, while the so-called antiwar movement looks on in silent complacency and while Democratic operatives disguised as antiwar groups are hoping against hope that Obama comes out strong with a new antiwar marketing campaign to assure his “re-election.”
PART 3
Even though not one progressive issue has been propagated during his term, these war supporters are looking forward to another four years of the dance of death. Right foot kill—left foot torture—spin around for environmental devastation—allemande left for health care fascism—and shimmy right for bankster bailouts. Wasn’t eight years of this crap during the Bush stain enough for y’all?
Many antiwar groups and people who claim they are for peace lose their minds during election season thinking that the razor-thin difference between the Democrat and Republican is enough to go ape-shit crazy in working for the Democrat. Just take the last two Democratic candidates, for example. Kerry and Obama both supported more war. An “antiwar” movement de-legitimizes itself when it works hard for a candidate who does not promise total and rapid withdrawal of troops from wherever they happen to be at the time AND does not promise to end war as an imperial tool of corporate conquest.
PART 4
The majority of the so-called antiwar movement, in fact, voted for a candidate that PROMISED to contract one war only to be able to profoundly EXPAND another. Obama all along said that he is not against all war, just “dumb wars.” If there existed an antiwar movement that had integrity—it would have said that “all wars are dumb,” and we withhold our support for just another dyed-in-the-wool warmonger.
TWO Party Paradyne System News clip: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2824363/the_obama_d...
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