NPC to host Jeff Gannon? Say it isn't so, Joe.....
agonist.org
An Open Letter:
Members of the National Press Club,
In our previous letter, we noted with concern that serious liberal political bloggers are being intentionally excluded from the academic and media dialogue on blogging. We protested your exclusion of serious liberal political bloggers from an upcoming panel on which you have placed the conservative political operative Jeff Gannon, neé Guckert.
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By Sean Paul in Media Criticism on Wed Mar 30th, 2005 at 06:44:17 AM PDT
This panel portends to discuss the meanings of the words "journalist" and "blogger" and whether the two are different things or one and the same. We note that this topic has once again been raised in light of the Gannon case, although the debate on blogs as journalism has been going on for years here in the so-called "blogosphere." As Gannon is not a blogger, we feel his inclusion means that the panel is largely about Gannon himself and what his specific case means in context of the discussion. We also note, as you must have, that Gannon's presence on the panel will allow him to once again air his side of the story. Who will air the other side?
There are serious political/social bloggers on the "left" that are doing
modern day journalistic muckracking that the corporate media is
simply ignoring in their 24/7 coverage of "Terri's" Death Watch and
the "Circus du Whacko Jacko". Mr. Guckert, isn't a blogger, he's a gay
escort, he's barely a journalist, and not a single political blogger
involved with the Gannon/Guckert scandal, or otherwise, has been
invited to sit on the panel to counter Mr. Guckert's arguments.
~ from a letter to Tom Glade of the NPC
While we commend your about face by extending an invitation to Matthew Yglesias to sit on this panel, it ignores the larger issue. We think highly of Yglesias' work publicizing the mission of bloggers and don't want to exclude him, or anyone, from the panel, but he was simply not a central player in regards to the Gannon story. A panel on the case of Jeff Gannon, especially one including Gannon himself, should have representation from someone who did heavy lifting there, someone intimately familiar with the process that brought Gannon's identity and his relationship with the White House Press Corps to the public eye. That voice must be a blogger who was a key player in the investigation of Gannon, his role in the media and his background.
Many people at various blogs, including SusanG at Daily Kos, Media Matters, World O Crap, Atrios, and AMERICAblog were at the fore of this investigation. Traditional media ignored the story until bloggers uncovered it. That's why you're having a panel on it. However, not one of the individuals who worked hard on the story was approached with an invitation to speak on the panel. Even outside the context of right versus left, this exclusion raises a serious issue of journalistic imbalance. This was not a careless oversight. The institutional press is giving the investigated his voice while not allowing the investigator to have its say.
For years I listened, with near religious regularity and fervor to the weekly
NPC radio broadcasts. I don't get them where I live now but I recall, quite
fondly, how much I enjoyed them, learned from them and was entertained.
This fiasco however makes me second guess my judgment. How you
could assemble such a ridiculous group under such a topic is beyond me.
Rise above this.
~ another reader addressing Tom Glade of the NPC
Thus, we cannot recommend strongly enough the inclusion of AMERICAblog's John Aravosis on this panel. He has volunteered to be the representative of those who worked on the Gannon investigation.
As we have noted above, you're discussing a story broken by the blogosphere yet cutting out the very people who made it a story there. This exclusion is shortsighted and raises questions of journalistic imbalance and ethical malfeasance. Thus, we again must raise our collective voice and insist that John Aravosis sit on the panel.
Please continue your calls to Julie Shue or Rick Dunham at the The National Press Club and politely insist that they include John Aravosis of Americablog.org at their event. Here are their numbers: 202-662-7500 or 202-662-7501 or email at tglad@press.org and info@npcpress.org.
Sincerely,
Sean-Paul Kelley, The Agonist
James Wolcott, Tracer Fire
Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Electrolite
Think Progress, Think Progress
DCMediagirl, DCMediagirl.com
Ezra Klein, Ezra Klein
Echidne of the snakes, echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com
Amanda Marcotte, Pandagon.net
Mark Karlin, Editor and Publisher, The BuzzFlash
Evan Derkacz, AlterNet's Peek
Matt Stoller, Bopnews.com
Democratic Underground The DU
Lindsay Beyerstein Majikthise
Shakespeare's Sister, shakespearessister.blogspot.com and bigbrassblog.com
Bob Brigham, www.SwingStateProject.com
Dave Johnson, seeingtheforest.com
Matt Singer, leftinthewest.com
Kos, dailykos.com
Kari Chisholm, blueoregon.com
Steve Gilliard, stevegilliard.blogspot.com
Kevin Drum, Political Animal
Crooks and Liars, crooksandliars.com
Brian Balta, balta.blogspot.com
That Colored Fella, thatcoloredfellasweblog.bloghorn.com
Anna Brosovic annatopia.com
skippy the bush kangaroo xnerg.blogspot.com
David Neiwert Orcinus dneiwert.blogspot.com
Julien 's List educatedeclectic.blogspot.com
General J.C. Christian, patriotboy.blogspot.com
Laura Rozen, warandpiece.com
Liza Sabater, culturekitchen.com
Chris Patil, marchingorders.org
Billmon, billmon.org
Ralph Dratman, newsfare.com
David (Austin Tx), supremeirony.blogspot.com
Ellen Dana Nagler, bopnews.com
Sean Carroll, preposterousuniverse.blogspot.com
media girl, www.mediagirl.org
Joe Giblin
Stephen Anderson, steveaudio.blogspot.com
-Kevin Hayden, American Street
Elaine Supkis Culture of Life News II
Melanie Mattson Just a Bump in the Beltway
Kenneth Bernstein teacherken.blogspot.com
ZenYenta zenyenta.blogspot.com
James E. Shirk www.degenerateart.blogspot.com
Hugo hugozoom.blogspot.com
Dennis Perrin -- Red State Son
Margaret Imber pudentilla.blogspot.com
Read The Otter Side otterside.blogspot.com
Kerry Lutz 100monkeystyping.com
Kelly B spacetimecurves.blogspot.com
Carla, preemptivekarma.com
Wes Flinn, Walk In Brain
Greg Turner, independentreport.org
Jeremy, upyernoz.blogspot.com
Dean Lawrence Velvel, www.velvelonnationalaffairs.blogspot.com
The Purple Coalition purplecoalition.blogspot.com
Erik Wilson, The Generik Brand
Clif Burns www.OutsideTheTent.com
Sandra Wooten, Dallas, Texas
Nico Pitney, Center for American Progress
Hughes for America, hughesforamerica.typepad.com
Ben Varkentine, blogs.ink19.com
As I Please barneymac17.blogspot.com
Lane Schwark, Dr. Laniac's Laboratory
stumpy, stumpysfindings.com
Jeff Tiedrich, Editor and Publisher, The Smirking Chimp
Ryan Pitts, Dead Parrot's Society
Paperwight, Paperwight's Fair Shot
The Farmer, corrente.blogspot.com
Mr. Thomas M. Fiddler, Somerset, KY 42502
Sidsel Anderson, newframes.typepad.com
Boadicea, We are the Resistance
Frederick Rhine, BeatBushBlog
Riggsveda, It's My Country Too!
John J. McKay johnmckay.blogspot.com
Larry Hosek, Silence Is Consent
ice weasel, private blog
James Benjamin, The Left End Of The Dial
exceive, moonwaves.com
Charles Kuffner, Off The Kuff
Chris Bowers, MyDD
Tom Burka, Opinions you Should Have
Bill Scher, Liberal Oasis
Amber Smigiel, www.yoyogurl.com/pcbnn.html
Carl Nyberg, Blogging Blagojevich's Blunders
Jazz Shaw, Running Scared - Observations from a Former Republican
The Green Knight, thegreenknight.blogspot.com
Iggy, The Nattering Nabob
The News Writer, The News Writer
Jorge, Media In Trouble
Spin Dentist, All Spin Zone
The Chemist, thedisgruntled.blogspot.com
George Henson, Un poeta loco
TJ, Welcome To Gilead |
