Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Shining Light in Dark Corners

This can be a good thing, e.g. highlighting that which the Old Legacy Media don't want us to know.

This can also be a very dangerous thing, e.g. think of the searchlight at a prison camp and if the light catches you, you're likely to be shot -- dead.

Belmont Club provides a very interesting analysis and commentary (worth the reflection if you have a couple of minutes) of The New York Times Sarah Boxer Affair I discussed earlier.

Many are highlighting the hypocrisy of the media in arguing for protection of their sources, while The New York Times seems to relish flights of fancy by the likes of Ms. Boxer as to whether bloggers are agents of one agency or another.

Wretchard sums up his analysis with these thoughts:

Then there is no help for it but to destroy these insurgents root and branch; because for so long as these terrorists exist then expressing an independent opinion, running for election or shaking the hand of the President of the United States will always be offenses punishable by death. That is to say, for so long as terrorists and their publicists prevail, then neither bloggers, nor a free press nor people anything remotely like Sarah Boxer will never be able to exist in Iraq. It is not necessary to agree with Iraq the Model in order to defend their right to say it. Of all the uses to which Ms. Boxer could have put freedom, this was the worst.

It's trite but true in this case -- Read the Whole Thing.

The more I read, the more I realize that the blogosphere has many more grownups than the Old Legacy Media.

And, they generally do not get paid for it.