THE BLOGGING JOURNALIST

Liberal Bloggers, Political Activist And Polling

Aaron Blake, writing at The Hill, January 19, 2010: “Liberal bloggers and activists are commissioning polls as a way to shape the political debate, but their results aren’t always what fellow activists would like.”

If you want to read more, see “Liberal groups stir the pot with independent polling.”

Technorati Tags: Liberal bloggers,The Hill,Aaron Blake

Mayor Dave’s Blog

The Cap Times of Madison, Wisconsin, USA, says Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz “has taken to his blogging role with gusto. Since he debuted his blog in January, Cieslewicz has written more than 150 entries (including at least a dozen on the Edgewater Hotel), making the blog a dominant part of his communications strategy.”

That’s a heck of record for “a self-acknowledged Luddite and a lover of traditional newsprint.”

If you want to read more, see “Spin city: Mayor Dave lets loose in blogosphere.”

Technorati Tags: Mayor Dave’s Blog,Dave Cieslewicz,The Cap Times

Who is the Liar: The Blogger or The Politician?

Herald Scotland has a December 17, 2009, editorial that includes a warning to politicians who use blogging to smear their political opponents.

Headlined “We can do without these online smear campaigns,” the editorial was prompted by the political brouhaha surrounding the allegation that Mark MacLachlan, former aide to Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Michael Russell, published false information about some Russell opponents and critics at the blog The Universality of Cheese in order to damage them politically.

Russell fired MacLachlan amid claims that he wasn’t aware of what his aide was up to with the blog.

Rupert Murdoch’s highly opinionated News of the World exposed MacLachlan, who wrote under the name “Montague Burton.” He “began blogging in February this year, off my own back and in my own time.”

MacLachlan, who sounds believable to me based on my reading of his blog, claims that, “…Mr Russell not only knew about but suggested possible stories for the blawg…” See “Ding dong merrily on high” for context and MacLachlan’s  account of the dispute. He has also released emails between himself and Russell to support his position. Also see the Herald Scotland’s December 17, 2009, post headlined “E-mails ‘link’ Russell to SNP smear blog that he denied knowledge of.”

Also see MacLachlan’s December 13, 2009, article in Times Online headlined “Cybernat? I was just having fun.”

Meanwhile, Russell, according to the BBC, told journalists on December 17, 2009, that he stands by his statement that he had absolutely no knowledge of what MacLachlan was blogging about. "I stand absolutely by that statement and am entirely confident that I have acted properly throughout this matter in every way,"  he was quoted as saying. See “Scottish minister issues legal threat amid blogging row.”

He also said, according to the BBC, “I have instructed solicitors to make it clear to my former employee that his allegations are totally false and that any repetition of them by him will result in legal action."

Both the politician and the blogger need to simmer down. Lawyers can be quite costly.

Technorati Tags: Mark MacLachlan,Scotland's Michael Russell,The Universality of Cheese

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Profiles Blogger Erick Erickson

The Atlanta Constitution’s Bill Torpy profiled Conservative blogger Erick Erickson in a December 11, 2009, post headlined “Georgia political blogger holds nothing back.” Writes Torpy:

Conservative blogger Erick Erickson doesn’t mince words. He compared the White House spokeswoman to Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. He called a fellow Macon city council member a “cheap politician with a weak character.” And he once tweeted that a U.S. Supreme Court Justice had an unnatural attraction to farm animals.

According to Torpy, “such histrionics, combined with Erickson’s political insight and access to inside dope, have made his local blog, PeachPundit.com, a must-read at the Georgia Capitol, and RedState.com, the national Website he edits, a must-read for Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other high-profile conservatives.”

Technorati Tags: AJR.Com,Erick Erickson,PeachPundit.Com,RedState.Com

Howard Kurtz: ‘Conservatives Jump Ship’

Washington Post columnist and staff writer Howard Kurtz reminded Post readers in a December 4, 2009, Media Notes column that, “The raging debate over who should lead the [U.S.] Republican Party isn't the only passionate argument on the right.” See “Conservatives jumping ship.”

“While partisans argue about the relative virtues of Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, columnists, writers and bloggers have been slugging it out about the future of conservatism,” Kurtz writes.

Among other things, he cites Atlantic Online writer and Daily Dish blogger Andrew Sullivan’s December 1, 2009, post headlined “Leaving the Right” as a symbol of the slugfest. A day earlier, Little Green Footballs proprietor Charles Johnson told his readers “Why I Parted Ways With The Right.”  On December 3, 2009, Johnson posted Reactions to a Manifesto.   Here’s blogger reaction to both Sullivan and Johnson’s defection from the right,

I think we will see many more conservative bloggers, columnists and writers take on the extreme elements in the conservative wing of the Republican Party. By the way, here is some blogger commentary on conservative infighting. And we will also see similar debate on the left as President Barack Obama disappoints leftist who thought he was what he isn’t.

Note: This item is cross-posted at The I-Time Media Observer.

Technorati Tags: Howard Kurtz,The Washington Post,Andrew Sullivan,Daily Dish,Charles Johnson,Little Green Footballs

Blogs That Track Politicians

“Can’t stand a member of Congress and desperately want him or her out of office? There’s a blog for that,” wrote Politico’s Erika Lovley in a November 30, 2009, post. See “Hater sites take flight.”

Lovley said, “For many members, there are blogs or websites solely dedicated to making them look bad, designed to highlight all their foibles and offer news and commentary aimed at portraying them as unfavorably as possible.”

Lovley’s interviewed some of the bloggers who write about their congressmen and women. Their rationales for opposing a particular politician so vehemently are quite revealing.

Technorati Tags: Blogs Against Politicians. Hater Sites,Politico,Erika Lovley

A Good Roundup of Opinion on Ambassador John Huntsman

U.S. President Barack Obama’s May 16, 2009, announcement that he had appointed John Huntsman, Jr., Utah’s Republican governor, ambassador to China generated a diversity of opinion from bloggers. The Blogometer, “a daily report from The Hotline taking the temperature of the political blogosphere,” has a good roundup of opinion offered by liberal and conservative bloggers  See “5/18: Huntsman Goes To China.”

Technorati Tags: The Blogometer,The Hotline,John Huntsman,Bloggers,Barack Obama

West Virginia Red Debuts

Conservative “Republican political consultant Roman Stauffer” of West Virginia has “launched West Virginia Red, a conservative blog that will post opinion pieces, news and events,” reports Alison Knezevich, staff writer at the Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette. See “Conservative bloggers launch West Virginia Red.”

According to Knezevich, “The site launched Sunday [May 17, 2009] and takes its name from West Virginia Blue, a site that features pieces on Democratic politics and progressive issues.”

I like the look of the  blog. Although I’m not a political conservative, I found the writing interesting. Overall, it has a warm feel to it, at least to me.

Technorati Tags: West Virginian Red,Roman Stauffer,Alison Knezevich,Charleston Gazette,West Virginia Blue

David Miliband’s May 13 Session With U.S. Bloggers

Adele Stan, a columnist for The American Prospect Online, had a May 13, 2009, column at the Guardian’s informative Comment is Free America blog headlined “David Miliband meets the bloggers.”

“It was billed as a newfangled sort of event: a news conference between US bloggers and Britain's blogging foreign secretary at the New America Foundation, a Washington DC think tank,” she wrote.

It was a nice blend of gossip, reportage, technology and politics. The kind of post I find quite appealing.

Note: This post is cross-posted at The Diplomatic Times Review and The Opinion Post.

Technorati Tags: David Miliband,Comment is Free America,Adele Stan,The American Prospect,U.S. Bloggers

Does it Matter That Political Blogs Aren’t Widely Read?

Lisa Riley Roche, a reporter at the Salt Lake City, Utah, USA-based Deseret News reported May 15, 2009, that, “A new book by a Brigham Young University professor [Richard Davis] suggests political blogs are read by only a small percentage of the population that isn't representative of most Americans. The book is called “Typing Politics."

I expect political blogs to be read only by a small percentage of the U.S. population. Such niche blogs generally attract those really into politics. So, in my opinion, there is nothing alarming about the revelation. One thing for sure: Political blog readers and authors are usually very passionate about the subject.

Anyway, if you want to read more or Roche’s article, See “Political blogs not well read, BYU prof says.” Also see the Brigham Young  University press release headlined “Political blogs more accurate than newspapers, say those who read both.”

Technorati Tags: Typing Politics,Political Blogs,Deseret News,Lisa Riley Roche,Professor Richard Davis