The Bathroom Wall
"People use them as the bathroom wall." That's how one Councilman described Cheshire's blogs.
Then the MRJ followed up with me and offered this from our conversation:
White's blog has a mix of facts and opinion. He laughed when was asked if he believed the public thought his blog was credible. He receives both negative and positive feedback, he said. (MRJ, by Stacy Graham Hunt)
I couldn't help but chuckle at the nature of the question. From my perspective, I can't say whether my blog is credible or not. The question was sort of like asking me if I do a good job as a Councilman... I know I try to do a good job. But there are some who think I'm the worst thing this side of the Mississippi!... it's all in the eye of the beholder.
Anyway, the story continued by making a very valuable point... ok... I made the point, but I believe it's something that most reporters would appreciate... yet most people may miss:
Blogs should not replace traditional media, White said, but they provide the "coffee shop talk" that professional reporters may not have the time for.
See, in that one little comment, I believe there lies a fairly massive issue that is currently undermining traditional media... an issue that is hurting the "general welfare" of The People.
Thing is... with well-established news outlets, such as the New Haven Register, laying off great reporters (for example, Greg Hladky, NHR Capitol Bureau Chief)... you have fewer people covering more stories. In turn, journalists have less time for in-depth, hard-hitting, investigative reporting.
Therein lies an opportunity where all these so-called "slanderous" blogs can help ensure that important stories don't get missed. Now I'm not saying that this blog does that... I'm just saying that there is significant upheaval within the traditional media industry... and blogs (new media, really) can benefit society as a whole... though it may be a rough ride for a while.
But whether or not my analysis is correct, I think the story closed out very strongly:
Kelly McBride, the Ethics Group Leader for the Poynter Institute, a school for journalists in St. Petersburg, Fla., said blogs affect public policy and journalism nationally.
"Bloggers are a new force in the ecosystem," she said.
They help get the word out to citizens about changing policies that may not be covered by the press. Bloggers also make journalists focus on issues they might not usually cover, McBride said. Blogs are also self-correcting, she said. If a blogger posts incorrect information, every other human being with a computer can correct the blogger's misstatements with a comment, or create their own blog.
Blogs will not replace traditional media, but they are now a fixture in the media world, she said.
"That's the way it is," McBride said.
Tim White
21 comments:
Your blog is great Tim. It provides more information and review of meetings than any newspaper article could. It allows people to give their opinions and exchange thoughts and ideas with other readers. It shouldn't matter if a person leaves their name or posts anonymously, but if it makes Mike Ecke happy then fine.
Sue Zentek :)
hahaha... thanks!
And if you normally like it... you should see what I'm planning for tomorrow... I got some info today on how to save money... now I just want to make a follow up phone call to see if it's available to us here in Cheshire.
This blog is a great vehicle to combat the Cheshire Herald which has become the "opiate of the people."
Keep up the good work, Tim!
The professionals have ruined the media business so the amateurs have to fill the void.
Down with McNewspapers! Up with the bloggers!
Tim, You are doing a great service to this community by giving us the facts about how this town operates. If Mr. Ecke feels it is like "writing on the bathroom wall", then he doesn't understand what the people in this town want.
We all know that the council looks at his site, they aren't fooling us. You can even tell when one leaves a comment.
How does Mr. Ecke feel we can get information on what is going on in this town if you aren't providing us with clips from the council meeting and other information? We certainly are being provided with all the info by the town.
Let the Democrats do their own blog, it would be interesting as well.
To dismiss these blogs is really not a smart thing to do. This is the 21st century and this is how we communicate. If the others don't like it then they should get out of public office. It is called "public" for a reason!
I'll bet a lot of the anonymous comments have been made by Ecke and I'd hate to see his bathroom wall.
Now for something more serious. Mr. Ecke says there is no corruption in Cheshire. Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha................. He should quit the council and do stand-up comedy. There was someone funnier, Mayor Lee of New Haven, who said there was no organized crime in New Haven and that had everyone laughing like crazy.
Tonight, P&Z's gang of 7, as is customary, will give Mr. Fazzone the zoning changes he requested. Marty Cobern has probably already written the approval and have copies on the back table before the meeting. When Fazzone speaks and P&Z delivers.
I think in the interest of saving time and money, P&Z should just eliminate all zoning regulations and then simply disband.
Tim, it's true that your blog has a mix of facts and opinion. And the newspapers don't ?! It's simply incumbent on educated readers to distinguish between facts and opinion in everything they read.
And yes, some people have posted comments here no more edifying than those written on bathroom walls. One of my neighbors, a council member, comes to mind ....
Fools who won't
show their faces
plant their crap
in public places.
a council member, comes to mind ....
Yes, Matt Altieri is a frequent anonymous poster to the bathroom wall.
I realize now that only Barack Obama can defeat the racist sexist john McCain so I accept him as our best strategy for president. Please Barack name a womyn for vice president!!! Womyn demand power not patronage!!!
So angrywomyn accepts Barack Obama as her personal lord and Savior. How special. Something for a bathroom wall indeed.
I wonder which bathroom angrywomyn uses.
Angrywomyn, please explain exactly how it is that John McCain is "racist and sexist". Is that what you call anyone who disagrees with you, or is it just something you learned to toss around in some women's studies class?
McCain should not name anyone as VP based on their being a woman, man, black, white, or anything else. That’s the affirmative action of Democrats. McCain should name the BEST PERSON for VP.
For 40 years, the Left has urged everyone to identify with their race, gender, and ‘victim status’, rather than as human beings or Americans. They created cliché-spewing robots like Angrywomyn, and a whole Party (the Democrats) obsessed with racial, ethnic, and gender labels.
Now the supporters of their first major woman and Black candidates for president viscerally loathe each other. Now the Left is hoisted with its own affirmative action petard. The Angrywomyn and Jeremiah Wrights of the Democratic party deserve each other.
So Matt Altieri has a fellow traveler in angrywomyn on this board....
Fools who won't
show their faces
plant their crap
in public places.
Angrywomyn also endorsed Elizabeth Esty for state rep on the other thread because of Esty’s long record of pro-abortion activism. She also called for allowing abortion up to 40 days after birth. Esty, angrywomyn, Obama and Wright all deserve each other.
RE: “racist, sexist John McCain”
Not true. Senator McCain and his wife adopted a baby Bangladeshi girl, Bridget, from Mother Teresa’s orphanage in 1993. There were no TV cameras, and race didn’t matter. They just chose to take this little girl into their home out of love.
I don't believe there is such a person as "angrywyman"..just doesn't strike true..ddv
So help me sort out some fact or fiction. Is it true that Matt Bowman is the one who donated the ten thousand dollars for the turf study group?
I think angrywomyn is a real person. There are more than a few radical feminists who define themselves by their anger. She previously gave this link to her website called the Feminist Rage Page,
http://community.livejournal.com/feminist_rage/
my niece returned from college talking like angrywomyn and she blogs all over different sites. her mother told her she has to major in something besides womens studies. hope she grows out of it.
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