We're Bloggers, we wear pajamas,(well some of us do), and we are not going away any time soon. Maureen Scott has a few things to say about and to the MSM. Have at them, Maureen! - Sailor
-->Written by Maureen Scott
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Bloggin' and Joggin' Along
We, the previously un-heard, are changing the whole of the media industry today. Concurrently we are affecting the news and the news makers (be they politicians, entertainers, statesmen, businesses or sports persons) who are becoming increasingly aware that we are no longer hostage to the concoctions of clever copywriters, PR spinners, media pundits, and the secret backroom decisions made by them to sway the public’s opinions.
We were called the “Silent Majority” over so many past years. We had no voice. Our perceptions were unknown. Our allegiances were uncertain. Our intelligence was questioned. The MSM disregarded us. They spoke to and for the noisemakers, special interest groups and deep-pocket supporters. They chattered at us in sixth grade level reporting jargon. They told us what we should think. They interpreted what we saw and heard (because they thought we were too dumb to really believe our own eyes and ears). They spun stories as the brothers Grimm re-created fairy tales. And they did so with disdain for us because they thought they were clever, and we were gullible.
The newspapers and magazines ignored us unless we reinforced and echoed their values; opposing opinions were rarely printed. Our comments were considered trivial and our questions were not published or addressed. The editors felt we were not skilled, thus our viewpoints were imperceptive. They presupposed that we read just their paper and even then, only the front page, cartoons, garage sale announcements, and busily went on to clip coupons.
It was assumed that we did not have high-caliber pursuits and that we spent our time driving children to soccer games, worrying about seeding our lawns, and jogging mindlessly around our neighborhoods, with nary a concern about “the world at large.” They were wrong.
Lately, some commentators/journalists/columnists are starting to “get it” (See “The Blogs Must Be Crazy,” Peggy Noonan’s analysis in The Wall Street Journal, http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/) but the majority only views us as a fringe movement, or a passing phenomenon. They incorrectly believe that if they attack our credibility it will be easy to destroy our impact, and we will fade away into cyber obscurity. After all, who are we – they are the “professionals.”
They forget (or purposely ignore) the fact that a majority of their audience is neither uneducated about nor disinterested in the world beyond their own backyards. We have shared our dorm rooms with people of wide cultural backgrounds and beliefs, we work with individuals across many international borders…. let alone different states and communities. We don’t live “inside the totem pole any more.” The years of government and industry advocating the need for college educations, graduate studies, and professional careers has produced an audience whose level of intelligence often far exceeds the B.S. degrees in journalism that most media personnel hold. And we remember the communication/journalism majors in college. They had the “easy” classes. Many Americans today have pursued far more difficult and intense studies. We are a tenacious, bunch who has been trained to question, reflect, compare, analyze and reach conclusions based on the myriad of information instantaneously available to us and, when necessary, we delve further to source out archived material. Why should we accept the hastily scribbled words of some harried reporter as definitive when we realize that much of today’s on air and printed news is created just to beat a deadline or scoop the competition? And, because we have learned to be discerning through our education, experience, and appetite for truth we have the acumen to perceive when a story has been slanted to suit the agenda of an editor, a network CEO, or an influential political action committee.
Hark! Technology has freed us!
We have cell phones, talk show hosts, and call in programs.
We have computers, modems, the Internet and blog sites.
We can post our thoughts, comments, and questions.
We can see and reach the world from our desktop.
We have a resourceful, quizzical, and skeptical audience.
We can incite attention and action within moments.
Hooray – we are not so “ silent” anymore.
We have a voice, and it is quite loud.
We can challenge their “findings” and reveal the distortions and myths.
We can unveil their biases, and expose their allegiances.
We can bring down their giants like David slew Goliath.
We have venues; we have power,
And - we have pajamas!
Wake up MSM moguls, and those with a penchant to deceive! We are watching and evaluating – and we have a keen ability to determine when your ego and prejudice obstructs the truth. Throughout urban and rural America we log on daily to substantiate what you try to force-feed us because our unifying factor is a weariness of being scammed. In an instant we can verify facts, source references, extract whole and factual quotes, debunk sound-bites, present contradictions, examine documents (Memogate), authenticate photographs (ala kidnapped Cody action figure), denounce photo-ops, and counter your comments with erudite, sharp-witted (albeit sometimes punctuated and colorful language), sometimes sarcastic, and notably discerning retorts that we willingly share and that spread across the country faster than a plague of locusts propelled on jet fuel.
We are here to stay, and we will propagate in this ever-evolving free forum. If you don’t treat us right, with respect and dignity, we will be your worst nightmare.
And - one day we just might come for you armed with our laptops and in uniform wearing our Dr. Denton’s!
About the Writer: Maureen Scott formerly ran a writing service for professionals and was a fundraiser for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. She and her retired-serviceman husband live in Virginia. She also volunteers for the American Red Cross. Maureen receives e-mail at scottytoo@hotmail.com.
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