What Took So Long?
Steve Benen, posting at TPM, asks why the "Veep isn't part of the executive branch" position of Darth Cheney is news now that Rep. Henry Waxman's committee has issued a report, when the blogosphere was all over this story in February. The answer, of course, is that establishment MSM never gets out in front of a story. They are more than happy to report on a story when someone in power, or when a governmental institution, like a House committee, puts out a report, making something a story, by the rules of the game. But MSM reporters don't actually speak in their own voices in such stories--note, they report, "According to a report by . . . ."
The short answer is, Power makes all the difference. With the Democrats in power, all kinds of stories only blog readers knew about will get reported on now. Because people in power can be quoted on them. That's one of the rules of the MSM.
posted by Number Three @ 6:57 AM
1 Comments:
OK, but you leave out an important asymmetry. If Drudge runs (or links) a story smearing a prominent Dem, the MSM will escalate into a flash mob tizzy within minutes, even if the story is completely false--as it often is (e.g., "Obama is a Muslim").
So there are blogs that can drive news cycles, but they're generally right-wing (put Powerline and the Politico in that elite group too). Liberal blogs have an effect, but it is indirect. Dem staffers read liberal blogs, they help get certain Dem MCs working on issues raised on the web, and 6 months later when a committee issues a pronouncement, the MSM may take notice. You're right to suggest that power plays a role, but you need to add the partisan dimension: like wingnut radio, GOP blogs are given instant legitimacy.
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