The Love-Fest

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Mega-Media Trends

(AP Photo)

Here's a dispatch from CBS News intern Eric Kuhn, who we brought in to examine this weekend's goings on in Chicago...

As bloggers and netroot activists gathered at this year's YearlyKos Convention, Public Eye was wondering how the mainstream media would cover their new media friends – and how the blogging community would react to the presence of the traditional media folks they so often criticize.

In an interview, YearlyKos executive director Gina Cooper told us that there were 250 credentialed media covering the event, with at least 75 percent (a conservative guess) of them being from traditional media outlets. "We are at frickin' capacity," she said. "We are overwhelmed. It is really an honor to have so many people."

Abdon M. Pallasch from the Chicago Sun-Times said that upon arriving at the convention, he joked, "I am with the dinosaur press!" Pallasch said he "found no animosity or resentment" and that the participants welcomed him with open arms.

Look at the "In the News" section of the Convention's web site and you will find no blog clips, only clips from the Chicago Tribute, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other major old media outlets (as of today, anyway).

And in full old-new media love-fest style, Matt Bai, writer for The New York Times Magazine, and Joan McCarter, contributing editor at Daily Kos, will moderate the Presidential Leadership Forum on August 4.

While in the past new and old media might have clashed, Cooper sees that phenomenon as simply "growing pains," like when radio was introduced to the television set. After all, Cooper argues, a reporter for the New York Times or a blogger on Daily Kos each want the same outcome -- a contention, incidentally, that bloggers on the right might agree with, though for very different reasons. "I keep saying over and over again that our goal here is to give people the information they need," she said.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by punkprogress August 5, 2007 12:17 PM EDT: CBS and Bob Schrieffer%u2019s ongoing bias comments on Barry Bond are a contemptible insult to all African Americans as well as to all fair minded, objective, and just sport fans and citizens. His personal attack upon Mr. Bond was a throwback to a pre Civil Rights and McCarthy era of open public profanation of the human merit of African Americans: the most ungodly and ugly times in America%u2019s history. During this period the Anglo majority was free, unrestrained, and unchallenged to publically promote and incite racial hate, intolerance, aggression, and violence against African Americans. And Texas, Bob Schieffer%u2019s home was and is a leader in such racial incitement, hostilities, and atrocities! Moreover, judging from the reactions of conservative Anglo Americans and Bob Schieffer%u2019s to Barry Bond, their erroneous race based and unsubstantiated words still has this same kind of racially divisive and inciting affect! In addition, Bob Schieffer%u2019s strong and bias comments only reinforce Mr. Imus%u2019 position that CBS encourages its Anglo employees to incite African Americans through insult! So I%u2019m outraged that after Imus, CBS is still allowing bias Anglo conservative employees to make inciting personal racial commentary about African Americans!; Reply to this comment


by punkprogress August 5, 2007 12:14 PM EDT: On Sunday July 29 2007, just as they were wrong in supporting Bush's invasion of Iraq and lies of WMD's, Conservatives at CBS like Bob Schieffer and his group of conservative sports writers were wrong about how the majority of Americans feels about Barry Bond. This, Face The Nation group, boldly predicted that if Bond's record hit came on the road fans would boo him! Well it did not happen! The minority of bias conservative Anglo fans with the same mentality, heart, and bias as Bob Schieffer booed, but the majority cheered!

This just goes to prove that conservative Anglo males only know the bias mind set of those within their closed conservative inner circle!

It is morally and professionally unjust that CBS allows Schieffer's remarks to remain posted for weeks but responses to his' comments are limited to three days!; Reply to this comment


by punkprogress August 5, 2007 12:11 PM EDT: On Sunday July 29 2007, just as they were wrong in supporting Bush's invasion of Iraq and lies of WMD's, Conservatives at CBS like Bob Schieffer and his group of conservative sports writers were wrong about how the majority of Americans feels about Barry Bond. This, Face The Nation group, boldly predicted that if Bond's record hit came on the road fans would boo him! Well it did not happen! The minority of bias conservative Anglo fans with the same mentality, heart, and bias as Bob Schieffer booed, but the majority cheered!; Reply to this comment


by memekiller August 3, 2007 8:37 PM EDT: We juts want better journalism. First choice is to encourage "old" outlets to up their game. Barring that, we'll set up "new" outlets to fill the void.; Reply to this comment