Downing-gate Coverage
For the past several weeks, thousands of bloggers and alternate news sources have been writing, talking and shouting about the Downing Street memo. And finally, the Sleeping Giant has stirred. Just a little. This tired bloated sagging blob (also known as the “Mainstream Media“) started showing signs of a pulse. It yawned, sat up, rubbed its eyes and went “Wha??!? Oh. Huh.”
Now will it stay awake or will thousands of bloggers have to keep poking it and throwing things at it?
Or maybe the Mainstream Media has only been pretending to be in a coma. Are they really more oblivious than Terri Schiavo and Karen Ann Quinlan put together, or have they been deliberately ignoring the growing uproar? After all, the oligarchs who own the “public” airwaves and the newspapers are all up to their eyeballs in Bush’s agenda.
Maybe they’ve been deliberately ignoring the groundswell, hoping the public will give up. Let’s say a supervisor (or a security guard, etc. — somebody you’re trying to ignore) is calling out to you as you’re walking along. You pretend not to hear, and just keep walking. This might work if the person calling you isn’t too determined or too persistent.
Or you could end up walking away from an increasingly loud thundering chorus of “Hey!! Helllooooo!!!!” At this point you have the choice of either responding or looking dumber than a bag of hammers.
I think this is the position “the media” is in. Now all of a sudden they’re covering Downing-gate and they’re pretending to be the “liberal media” that their fellow oligarchs keep pretending to rail against. When you’re no longer able to pretend not to know what someone is talking about, then Plan B is to start pretending that you’re just shocked — shocked! — at what this person is telling you.
And — shifting to Plan B — the “media” is now “shocked!” at the deception revealed in the Downing Street memo (and related documents).
Oh My God! said MSNBC.com.
This is an outrage said Yahoo! News.
And the Seattle Post-Intelligencer mentioned Downing-gate in both their Thursday and Friday editions last week.
This is a good thing, of course. But if they’re planning to just go through the motions for awhile and then sneak away, forget it. Thousands of online activists and bloggers will be shouting and poking and throwing things at them. The roar of the crowd is going to get louder and louder. Don’t ignore it!
posted by Tom Harper @ 12:17 AM
23 Comments:
It is my belief that the Bush-neutered MSM is going to try to find some new diversion to distract the public. They sure as hell aren't going to do anything that might upset the boss if they can keep from it.
Just gotta worry about what the "distraction" might be.. in history, they have been proved to be costly and painful distractions.. indeed.
ooooooooooo!
"Guys, quick, before I lose any more popularity in the polls, we gotta tell them we've got our sights on bin Laden again."
you'd think they'da thoughten to look in them thar mount'ns bah naw.
~j
Jolly Roger: Oh, they'll think of something. They can't betray the CEO, or the Big Boss, whoever that is.
Patricia: Who knows what that distraction will be. We might "discover" another country that has Weapons of Mass Destruction and connections to bin Laden. We'll have to attack, but don't worry, it'll be a cakewalk and our soldiers will be greeted with flowers and ice cream by throngs of grateful peasants.
Jolly, the Republicans and the repubs on the blogs are already refuting its authenticity. Even PBS of all places is questioning the memo by using terms like "so-called" and "alleged."
The distraction will be the usual: Terror alerts, scaring the hell out of the public, inevitable terrorist attack, left wing loonies and statements made by Bush and Blair and reports that they are fake.
~jay: Wow, they know where bin Laden is hiding? This is great; we're all set now. Oh, wait, they've been saying this for 3-1/2 years now.
Then again, maybe they actually captured bin Laden a long time ago and they're just waiting for that crucial moment (Bush's approval ratings go into the single digits) to unveil him. "We've captured bin Laden!" And Cheney will get a third term in the White House.
Samantha: Oh yeah, they're pulling out all the stops. Rightwing bloggers have been trying to discredit the memo for weeks now.
The funniest denial I've read so far was that "fixing the intelligence around the plan" didn't really mean what it sounded like. Fixing something around something is a British slang expression that has a whole different meaning; it was just a big misunderstanding. Ooookay. Anyone who believes that can get a great deal on some oceanfront property in Nevada.
Funny how not even the Brits said it wasn't the real deal, the memo that is.. in fact, they all said.. YUP.. that's how it was.
It never fails to stupify me just mouth dropping open and then closing again wondering just how long people will allow themselves to be duped.
Even today, I saw rational persons on another blog, degenerate to namecalling because myself and another blogger didn't agree with them. Hmmm.. funny, sticking UP for one's beliefs used to be called patriotic.. now it makes me a hypocrite.
Ah well.. you know, the longer I go on.. I must say.. sometimes I just sit here and wonder WHY?
Hopefully someone out there is listening to all of us who are saying WAKE UP..
HOPE
HOPE
HOPE
Patricia: Both of these traits will probably become more common over the coming weeks: Denial and refusal to see what's right out there in plain sight; and fury and venom from the wingnut bloggers and pundits.
Hardigan: Yeah, I've seen some rightwing bloggers comparing the DSM to Rathergate. I guess they need something to cling to.
Thanks for mentioning me in your last post.
Sadly, on CNN's blog segment today, the issue seemed to revolve around the authenticity issue more than the issue issue, if that makes sense. I hope that angle doesn't get any traction, but jeez, we could use a little help from the media!
The liberal MSM has used up their allottment of lies and they cannot keep pace with reality any longer.
Who wants to be the next Dan Blather anyway?
Brother Kenya: Like they say, the best defense is a good offense; and the Bush administration and the Bush-neutered "media" will be putting the DSM on trial while they leave Bush/Cheney untouched.
Ottman: The Great Patiotic One -- do I have great news for you or what? Click here and a whole new life begins. No longer do you have to just sit on the sidelines, warming the bench, wishing you could take part in this war that you're so gung ho about. This is your chance to be a part of the solution to the problem that you helped create. Uncle Sam Wants You!
Hardigan: Oh yeah, the good old Swift Boat Couch Potatoes for More Chips and Beer. And the Dean Scream -- I can't believe they're still beating that to death. Everyone knows by now (or should know) that when Dean gave that speech, the audience was yelling and cheering so loud, Dean had to scream just to be heard. Then the "liberal media" filtered out the cheering of the audience, so that all the TV viewers could hear was Dean screaming.
I think we are going to have to prod this along, so keep it up! Its amazing how long it takes for some people to be reached.
CoolAqua
Cool Aqua: Thanks. We'll all have to just keep prodding and poking and keep their feet to the fire.
Tom! Awesome link. I'm going to have to bookmark that. i think it's the only answer we have left for the wingnuts.
~j
~jay: Yeah, I'm planning to use it for all the rightwing pro-war commenters who come here.
The problem is at least two-fold. The media has walked away from investigative journalism in favor of trepidatious reporting fearing they'll be hung out to dry like Dan Rather and Newsweek. Then you have the stubborn neocons who continue their staunch blind support and will never accept the vadility of any evidence preseted against Bush & Co.
SAR: Yeah, I think the mainstream media are in a tough position. As much fun as it is to knock them, they could be facing serious consequences if they report too conscientiously on Bush's scandals. To some extent it's probably a self-preservation act to just keep obsessing over celebrity gossip and pretending not to notice King George tightening his grip.
Who would've thought the insitution of journalism which was once considered so admirable would crumble so. Remember when it was a simple choice of celebrity news on E.T. or Hard Copy, investigative journalism on 60 minutes or Dateline, and the "news" at 6pm on NBC, CBS, and ABC? Or for more global news you could tune into BBC news on PBS. Of course there was printed news like The NY/LA Times, Wall Street Journal, and Time Magazine. These were all considered reputible news sources. Somehow in all of this political furvor, they've been pegged either liberal or conservative. And in the interest of trying not to be either, they decided to just stick to middle monontenous ground (that is unless you're FOX news).
Thank goodness for blogsphere, huh?!
SAR: Those were the days, when you had to actually seek out entertainment news, and most of the media just defaulted to "real" news.
Without online activists and bloggers, this country would be just like the Soviet Union where Pravda was the only news source.
Be prepared for the wingnut 100% distration plot on these memos. They are a master of changing the story to their advantage. Just look at poor Durbin. Why he apologized is beyond me after all the crap that has spewed out of republican toilet bowels they call a mouth. It's up to us bloggers to keep it alive because the MSN won't do it without a push.
Fred Villarreal: Oh yeah, they'll change things around and spin everything every which way. They even hate their fellow Republicans as soon as one of them strays 1% from the Party Line. John McCain, now Chuck Hegel -- they're both America-hating terrorists for disagreeing with Great Leader.
I can't believe Durbin apologized. What, does he think they're gonna like him now?
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