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As the firing of Dan Froomkin illustrates, there is a lot of pressure to "go along" and "get along" in traditional media institutions.
Which is why it’s so important to support your friendly liberal blogger.
A number of vectors all crossing at the same time led to a situation where bloggers have a good chunk of the real estate in the online media environment. Scant online revenues in the early days meant that marquee names like the New York Times and the Washington Post were reluctant to dip their toes in the online pool, just as readers were moving there to get their news. Journalists accustomed to "we speak, you listen" were uncomfortable with the two-way communication stream. And public frustration with poor coverage of the Bush Administration and the war gave us our readership.
But everyone’s a blogger now — ask most people if they read blogs, and if they know them at all they’ll say "yeah, I read The Note." The fact is that marquee media have the money to be able to support the bells and whistles and coverage that could make it hard for blogs to compete. And if we lose this space, it’s gone.
I got into the "indie film" movement in the 80s — Sundance, Sex Lies & Videotape, She’s Gotta Have It. It truly did start off as independent. But the studios quickly figured out that they could capture that audience by starting "indie" divisions of their own, delivering big stars and higher production values, just none of the "edge." And then the "movement" was gone.
That could happen to the blogs. It will happen. If progressives lose this space, we don’t get it back. And our value to the media culture is measurable in the Froomkin episode — had blogs not stepped in and kicked up a shitstorm three years ago, Froomkin wouldn’t have been there as long as he was.
So, support your local blog, whoever it may be. Small or large, we all contribute to a culture of accountability. We make sure things don’t fall down the memory hole, and that the work of people like Marcy Wheeler continues to appear without having to go through the filter of the Washington Post editorial board.
Donate to the Marcy Wheeler Fund
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Since it’s very on topic, I’m gonna bring this up from what I posted downstairs:
And thanks to you as well, Jane.
Hang in there, for all of us.
Your post is actually what inspired me. Thanks.
Don’t you think Froomkin was fired so that WaPo could get a bailout. I am sure Rahm et al put out the hit. Why else get rid of a real journalist with a passion for truth and the news.
An irreplaceable resource. No one else is going to generate what Marcy and her crew can produce.
Spot on. In again here for the protection of the voices of sanity.
Thanks Jane.
For some time, I’ve been in for $10 bucks a month. Since the inception of the fund for Marcy, I’m in for $10/month there in addition to two one-time gifts totaling $75. I hope to increase all those going forward. For me, FDL keeps the really complex, critical issues accessible while also being fun. I think that’s what attracts so many skilled commenters.
To all FDL’ers, 1,579 donors to Marcy’s fund is too small. Especially, if you receive Newsweek or Time, or you know someone who does, please encourage them to cannibilize that subscription and give it to FDL/Marcy. Also, word of mouth is the best advertising, please mention to others that you read FDL.
Thanks Boo. You are one of our most loyal and consistent supporters. We really appreciate it.
Pretty close to my feelings…I just did an additional $25 because I can afford that right now and Marcy is the best. Just simply THE BEST. I am saddened that this hasn’t taken off more. But that is no reason not to do what I believe in.
Not to highjack the thread too much, but the indie film movement also helped do themselves in by quickly becoming cariacature-able as being nothing more than “Suburbia Sucks” films. Many people I knew assumed that big-studio Oscar-bait movie AMERICAN BEAUTY was an independent film simply because it was stuffed full of the worn-out tropes. To bring this back to the blogs, it’s important to maintain a diversity of voices because groupthink can kill a movement just as quickly as co-optation.
Thanks Boo, Ruffian, STTP, and to all of you who’ve given to the fund. Resources to do the kind of deep reporting Marcy cost money; I think most of us forget that airfare to hearings in DC, subscriptions to research resources like PACER and Lexis/Nexis, many other bells and whistles add up and eat away at bloggers’ ability to report. There are other bits and pieces we forget about, like developers and bandwidth and storage for content, which require investment especially as content increases (and we all know Marcy can really create some content!).
But what a bargain, especially when compared to the price of a year’s subscription at outlets like NYT and WaPo. Here you get more than you pay for, and you actually get a blogger who responds to you and genuinely cares about the truth.
Thanks again, gang, I know I really appreciate your helping Marcy — and that’s another bonus you don’t get from mainstream media, the appreciation and gratitude from other fellow readers you know. You guys make this like family.
What I give betweem FDL and my community radio station each month isn’t much more than what basic cable costs with BrightHouse (Time/Warner) but I sure get a lot more for my money. Plus the added benefit of bein’ evil, wicked, mean and nasty to trolls.
Anyone have a birthday coming up? [Mine was Wednesday = Watergate Break-in Day].
Father’s Day is tomorrow.
Get creative and ask that your “gift” be a contribution to “The Marcy Fund.” A bunch of $10 & $25 contributions to the Fund can do wonders. And who knows, maybe you have even more generous friends & relatives who are keen to show how much they love you!
You don’t need any more crap that you’re going to have to pack the next time you move, or that’s just gonna be “left behind” when the Rapture occurs.
Stir up some gifts to Marcy.
Now, I’ve gotta go “buy” my husband’s Father’s Day present.