tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429570072441023296.post1155963817956781562..comments2023-09-07T06:36:59.520-04:00Comments on The Virtual Philosophy Club: The Blogosphere - Millions of Citizen JournalistsIra Glicksteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10800080810596424897noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429570072441023296.post-21156595352868475252011-04-11T10:25:48.513-04:002011-04-11T10:25:48.513-04:00Ira, you say, “Well back before the Blogosphere I ...Ira, you say, “Well back before the Blogosphere I was bullied in grade school and I was shown porn by some of my fellow classmates. With cyber-bullying and cyber-porn, there is better evidence available to counsel or prosecute malefactors.”<br /><br />I conclude just the opposite. It is just because cyber-porn and cyber-bullying are anonymous, easily propagated, and not geographically limited that they have reached epidemic proportions. There are no means or resources to catch malefactors, let alone prosecute them.<br /><br />You also ask, “Is your link to Drudge misdirected somehow? I just looked at Drudge and ALL of the top stories and 90% of the other links were newsworthy (and non-salacious) by any measure.” <br /><br />True, most of Drudge’s stories are just taken from other sources. I don’t think Halpern was using salacious literally but as indicative of the “tone” or quality of Drudge’s journalism. My dictionary of synonyms and related meanings of salacious includes dirty, abusive, defamatory, scabrous, flaky, etc., all of which I think would apply to one or another of Drudge’s past stories as referenced in Wikipedia (“Drudge Report”). <br /><br />I am in favor of Muckraking journalism, but Drudge does not come up to that standard. A <b>muckraker</b> is defined as, primarily, a writer who <b>investigates</b> and publishes <b>truthful</b> reports. Drudge and Breitbart seldom write news, only flaky headlines. They do not investigate, but just copy other sources adding provocative anonymous tips and rumors that are often untruthful.<br /><br />I agree with you that there is room for all kinds of journalism, including Drudge. I only disagree with your opinion of quality. I don’t hold up Drudge as high quality journalism, or a replacement for your “elite” journalists who have other (and in my opinion, higher) standards.<br /><br />HowardHoward Patteehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12181204289094297715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429570072441023296.post-212294267837190062011-04-10T17:26:46.675-04:002011-04-10T17:26:46.675-04:00Thanks Howard for your comments. Well back before ...Thanks Howard for your comments. Well back before the Blogosphere I was bullied in grade school and I was shown porn by some of my fellow classmates. With cyber-bullying and cyber-porn, there is better evidence available to counsel or prosecute malfactors.<br /><br />Is your link to Drudge misdirected somehow? I just looked at <a href="http://www.drudgereport.com/" rel="nofollow">Drudge</a> and <b>ALL</b> of the top stories and 90% of the other links were newsworthy (and non-salacious) by any measure. <br /><br />While I did praise Wikipedia in my talk and I do watch O'Reilly almost every weeknight, I don't believe everything they say, particularly when I can check with my own eyes. Why don't you follow my <a href="http://www.drudgereport.com/" rel="nofollow">link to Drudge</a> right now and report any salacious links in a comment here.<br /><br />Ira GlicksteinIra Glicksteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10800080810596424897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8429570072441023296.post-25356989370030644352011-04-09T21:05:57.456-04:002011-04-09T21:05:57.456-04:00I agree with Ira that the Internet opens up a new ...I agree with Ira that the Internet opens up a new world of information and communication that will have profound changes in our society. I can’t be happy without it. <br /><br />But I’m not as optimistic as Ira about its overall effects on society. There are many studies about the Internet’s effect on children. It is too early to be sure of the results, but parents complain they have lost control, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber-bullying" rel="nofollow"><b> cyber-bullying </b></a> has become a serious problem (Remember Golding’s <i>Lord of the Flies</i>.) <br /><br />Competition is good, but only if the payoff is good. I mean, competition for the biggest bully on the block is not a good thing. A large number of people value the <b>quality</b> of information as contrasted with its popularity or “scoop value,” but largely because of the entertainment value (addiction) of the Internet this number is rapidly decreasing. The <a href="http://infosthetics.com/archives/2007/05/internet_pornography_statistics.html" rel="nofollow"><b>Internet pornography statistics</b></a> are suggestive, in more ways than one. <br /><br />I also check the Drudge Report occasionally, but I do not regard exposing people’s or President’s sex lives as a great “moment of truth.”According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Halperin" rel="nofollow"><b> Mark Halperin</b></a>, a <b>quality</b> journalist, Drudge steers political coverage towards "the most salacious aspects of American politics.” And talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Bill O'Reilly twice called Drudge a "threat to democracy", and Keith Olbermann referred to Drudge as "an idiot with a modem". So much for competition for popularity (i.e., ratings).<br /><br />HowardHoward Patteehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12181204289094297715noreply@blogger.com