Net helps uncover CBS doc fraud
'Bloggers are part of the media now'
Give netizens and bloggers credit where credit is due -- they raised the first questions and sparked the media firestorm that ended today with the shocking admission from CBS News that it was duped into airing questionable documents about President Bush's National Guard service.
This is just the latest in a series of landmarks, from Trent Lott's resignation to bloggers getting convention credentials, that signals the rising role of bloggers and citizen journalists in today's increasingly open media world. (See below for more examples)
This case is another signficant step forward, though not a watershed moment; bloggers had already arrived, this is just the latest manifestation of their new role. Though unlike the Trent Lott case and most others to date -- where bloggers were mostly shining a light on underreported information -- in this instance netizens actually uncovered facts as yet unreported by the media. That's what's most notable here -- bloggers moving from primarily depending on the reporting of traditional media to doing their own reporting.
Still, while the Net gets credit for first accusing the documents of being fraudulent, it was not actually a blogger that did so -- it was an anonymous poster on the discussion boards of the conservative Web site FreeRepublic.com (Read the post that started it all...)
A few bloggers have been key to pushing the story forward -- especially Little Green Footballs and Power Line's Scott Johnson -- while others, like Matt Drudge and Daily Kos, helped draw attention to it.
Make no mistake about it though -- bloggers are not threatening traditional media, nor replacing it -- bloggers are enhancing it, adding additional voices, another check and balance. Bloggers are part of the media now.
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Sep 20, 2004 | E-MAIL | SAVE | PRINT | PERMALINK | DISCUSS(0)
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