Where Have All The Journalists Gone? Democracy, Free Press, In The Age Of Internet Capitalism

Blinded By Journalism - photo by Ahmad HammoudWhat would happen if one day in the not so distant future, traditional print journalism died? I don’t mean what happens if we stop printing newspapers. I mean, what happens if “the press” is simply a collection of bloggers? I know I’m pouring gasoline on a fire with this line of questioning, most notably because I’m a blogger questioning the role of bloggers in journalism and news reporting, but is a person sitting in his bedroom or living room a journalist or a reporter?

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When A Case Against Liberal Media Portrayal Of Racism Goes Horribly Wrong

It is certainly possible to build a solid case that reveals a “jump-to-conclusion” style of reporting when it comes to stories about racism from the so-called liberal media. But Ann Coulter’s piece titled (“To Avoid Looking Like a Criminal, Don’t Commit a Crime“) is not one. We know the news media (less so for local news, more so for newspapers and cable news networks) is quick to add racism into the mix in a white on black crime or a black on white crime. The history of this country shows there’s good reason for suspicion of racism, and it makes for more readers or more viewers, so the mainstream media can’t help itself. So yes, a case could be made that racism is invoked more than can be proven.

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Justice Is Not Blind: A Few Thoughts On The George Zimmerman Not Guilty Verdict

Last night a jury of six women found George Zimmerman not guilty of both second degree murder and manslaughter. After the verdict, Zimmerman’s defense attorneys went on television, gloating with glee on the victory they brought for their client, clearly showing no regard for a dead 17-year-old boy. According to Up with Steve Kornacki, defense attorney Don West did not shake hands with the prosecution lawyers. And in his post-verdict television conference, he smiled when provoking a stupid question about his “knock, knock” joke that opened up the court proceedings, telling reporters that “I still think the joke was funny, I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry I didn’t tell it better.” Well thanks for the apology, and I’m not sure if you could be anymore disrespectful to a dead kid, a kid killed by your client.

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NSA Leak: Edward Snowden Character Assassination: Because Who Cares About Privacy Anyway?

nsa-logo-shield-spoofWith seemingly endless attacks on his character, Edward Snowden (NSA leaker) has unfortunately consumed this story. Even people in the media who complain we are talking about Snowden instead of privacy, like Chris Hayes, are, well, TALKING ABOUT SNOWDEN! And with that, each passing day the media talks less about the NSA (National Security Agency), privacy, and the Fourth Amendment. Soon the story will entirely encompass speculation on Snowden’s guilt, motive and whereabouts. In fact, we are nearly there now.

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