Chris Trotter has responded to Brian Edwards (The Anonymity Pandemic) and the debate on pseudonyms and MSM versus blogger. He makes some quite remarkable claims in Islands In The Mainstream.
The big problems will only arise when the stories people read on the blogs begin to sharply contradict stories being printed in the newspapers and broadcast over radio and television. That’s when the MSM should really begin to worry.
But if the note of alarm that has crept into the MSM’s coverage of blogs – especially political blogs – over the past few weeks is anything to go by, some of that worrying has already begun.
The tone of these attacks leaves little doubt that not only do these political journalists consider bloggers to be unwelcome and illegitimate contributors to the nation’s political discourse, but that nothing would make them happier than to see them tightly regulated and controlled. It’s an attitude that should send a shiver down every New Zealander’s spine.
A genuine “Fourth Estate” would welcome the democratisation of the gathering and distributing of news which the Internet has made possible. That so many MSM journalists have greeted the competitive spur of the blogosphere with a mixture of self-serving patch-protection and outright authoritarianism is cause for considerable concern.
Ah, where’s the authoritarianism? All I’ve seen is some journalists expressing their opinions. Seems like an attack of victimisation.
The recent Labour Party conference demonstrated in the most dramatic fashion the MSM’s capacity to misrepresent and mislead the NZ public.
Yeah, and all the bloggers did was report the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
How many bloggers were there? How many journalists? Drastically outnumbered and still managed to fight the good fight.
Mr Gower’s conspiracy theory…
The one he started via his agents Guyon Espiner, Vernon Small and ‘Eddie’?
Once it becomes clear that those principals have agreed upon an interpretation of events it is extremely hazardous for any political journalist to offer an alternative view
The integrity of how many are being questioned? Can you name names Chris? Unlike bloggers, they aren’t anonymous.
Is this the real explanation for the sudden spate of attacks on the anonymity of these citizen-journalists?
Ah, bloggers are citizen-journos now. I guess those of us writing under our own names aren’t included amongst the comrades.
Has a focus group warned the MSM that the stories it declines to tell – and which are now turning up in blogs – are being believed?
The great focus group conspiracy.
Are more and more of the MSM’s readers, listeners and viewers coming to the conclusion that the Fourth Estate, far from speaking truth to power, has become its willing stenographer?
Are they? Has Chris been checking some focus groups of his own?
If this is true, then the decision by so many active participants in the blogosphere to remain anonymous or write under a pseudonym becomes entirely reasonable. Any system powerful and mendacious enough to suborn the one institution specifically charged with exposing its malfeasance is probably not the sort of system to be openly challenged or taunted by vulnerable individuals using their real names.
No, can’t have any old school journos holding anyone to account, can we.
The day focus groups and their deliberations cease to be confidential is the day bloggers will gladly abandon their pseudonyms and the “pandemic of anonymity” will be over.
And Chris is speaking for all the anonymous bloggers? As soon as the revolution has been won they will reveal themselves in their glory?
And the AB’s at The Standard have picked up on Trotter’s column and are praising it in “Name” journalism & voter dis-engagement:
just saying
29 November 2012 at 5:52 pm
A lot of great minds thinking alike. A very relevant and eloquent column form Chris Trotter today:
And…
karol
29 November 2012 at 7:18 pm
I’m so glad the Internet still provides a diversity of voices to hold the MSM to account, and hope that it won’t be regulated down to an exceptional minority by banishing the use of pseudonyms…. if it was even possible?
But no one should hold anonymous bloggers to account?
And I’m not aware of any proposals or suggestions to banish the use of pseudonyms. Paranoia piled on the conspiracies now.
And it’s worth noting that The Standard is billing that as the main post of the day.
The Cunliffe camp lost the leadership battle so they switch to the great media war.
