Spiiderweb has been a godsend to this blog (alright, blast me for my use of the deity if you will, but nevertheless, Spiiderweb has a fascinating blog).
In one of his latest posts he starts out with a picture of Harry S and then morphs over to Molly Ivins [Bill Doolittle, please take note of Molly’s article] and then hits us with the following (below), just after he calls “bullshit” on Molly Ivins. On top of that, he’s a prolific blogger.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to defend myself. My spot in this swirl of blogs is to try to post info I think people might miss and try my best to post earlier than others. Most US bloggers are asleep when I’m blogging. I often catch breaking news within seconds.I also often usually offer my opinions. Those opinions are as well informed as I can make them or just based on experience. Those opinions are mine and can be accepted or rejected by my readers based on thier opinions, experience, trust or beliefs.
Other bloggers are more informed and knowledgable than I in many areas and have sources and experiences I haven’t. I would never challenge Juan Cole, Redd Hedd, Jane Hamsher nor many others. They provide info as good as, if not better, than MSM reporters.
Damn! Shouldn’t have started listing bloggers. There are far too many and omissions signify nothing.
Finally, I’m no celebrity and thus am not in anyone’s spotlight. I’ve been interviewed by radio stations, television stations and newspapers on a few occasions. So each reporter was “covering the five-car pile-up on Route 128” as it were. In every single interview I gave, without exception, the reporter made factual mistakes and erroneously quoted me on something. Usually the errors were significant. So “being there” doesn’t guarantee reliable information or accuracy. I’m just saying.
It’s awfully hard for a “new guy on the block” to get picked up and added to the blogrolls of the more popular blogs, but I urge those who visit here to explore his blog and consider adding him to their blogrolls. He seems to have come out of nowhere and has a lot of good things to say.
Spiidie, you've got to do what I do: write to the media and tell them they're wrong. Here's my latest, in which I both defend Howard Dean and diss an endorsed Republican candidate, while correcting a newspaper error:
Poor example
In the March 7 news article, "Casey, Swann challenge incumbents with
silence," an otherwise interesting report I'm grateful for, you quote
Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report as approving of Lynn Swann's
tactic of "saying little and being heavily handled," because novice
candidates are prone to politically fatal foot-in-mouth problems. That makes
sense. But she goes on to give a poor example: "think Howard Dean and the
scream."
First, Dean was a highly successful governor after serving as a part-time
state representative while maintaining his medical practice, not a novice
seeking his first elected office, like Swann. More important, "the scream"
was not an error he made, unless you think he should have suspected that the
network microphone he agreed to wear while addressing his campaign
volunteers would cancel out the roar of the background noise and that his
honorable fellow presidential candidates and the fair and objective news
media would excerpt bits of his hoarse enthusiasm to use as a gag on talk
radio.
You need to choose the experts you quote more carefully or else not pass on
the more foolish things they say.
Didn't I see that letter in the newspaper yesterday?
Joyful, you must be in central PA.
Ah shucks. Thank you Buck. Bad Attitudes has been gracious and kind. Hope I continue to deserve your recommendation.
Posted by: spiiderweb on March 25, 2006 7:11 AM