Wizblog

Cutting Out The Middleman

Also from Ace, comes the observation that the Eason Jordan resignation has the blogosphere in uncharted waters:

Look Ma, No MSM Involvement

Previously the blogosphere and alternative media generally have pushed stories into the MSM-- and only then did some sort of action/attention result.

But the media has all but completely embargoed this story-- until now, as Eason Jordan steps down.

No mainstream media involvement. No pushing a story into the papers.

Not even any help from Drudge.

We cut out the middlemen this time and went straight from pushing a story ourselves to actual resolution.

That's something.

And Decision '08 agrees it was different this time, and will likely never be the same:

No, this one is different. This time it was the bloggers, and the bloggers alone, that pushed this man out. That will be heady stuff for some; it will scare the pants off of others...but what does it mean, really? Have we entered an era where our lives can be destroyed by a pack of wolves hacking at their keyboards with no oversight, no editors, and no accountability? Or does it mean that we've entered a brave new world where the MSM has become irrelevant?

I would argue that neither of those extremes is the case. What has been shown, though, is that the mass media, mainstream media, MSM, whatever you want to call it, is being held to account as never before by the strong force of individual citizens who won't settle for sloppy research and inflammatory comments without foundation, particularly from those with a wide national reach, such as Rather and Eason.