MDE IN THE NEWS
Thank you Kelly Doran for switching races.
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Can blogs tip votes in '06 races?;
Web sites attract like-minded readers, blunting their effect
They're the new talk radio.
Blogs — the sometimes insightful, sometimes profane, online interactive diaries rapidly proliferating on the Internet — have infiltrated politics as you know it.
Campaigns and political parties cater to bloggers, giving them special access to events or inside information to post on their Web sites. Newspaper and television reporters might think of blogs as small-time players, but increasingly those reporters are competing with blogs for two things journalists covet: an audience and scoops.
In Minnesota — where a vibrant political blogging community has emerged — bloggers are hoping to play a big role in the 2006 campaign, a potentially pivotal year in state politics.
Several bloggers already have launched sites focused on the U.S. Senate race. Blogs will have an impact. The question is how much.
Craig Westover, who blogs at craig westover.blogspot.com and contributes to the Pioneer Press opinion pages, says he and his fellow bloggers are outworking the traditional media outlets on this big story, devoting more time and attention."They're going to eat the newspapers' lunch," Westover said.
Not so fast, others said.
Experts say readers typically look at blogs more in line with their own political ideologies, and that reduces their impact.
"There are some right-wing blogs that even if you tried to have a conversation with them, it's essentially a bunch of frat guys having a party and doing a beer dance,'' said Michael McIntee, producer for the Inside Minnesota Politics blog and podcast. "And that's not useful; it's pretty much making noise.
"People who possess strong political beliefs are able to read "almost exclusively from information sources that support their already existing views," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study for Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Partisan blogs might help people on the fence decide whom to vote for, said Nora Paul, director of the Institute for New Media Studies at the University of Minnesota. But they're not about to change minds, especially when the readers go to blogs with similar views.
Rex Sorgatz, creator of the mnspeak.com online forum, said a significant number of the political blogs listed on his Web site are "intrinsically partisan." He said he doesn't have anything against those blogs, but he's "not sure those kinds of blogs are going to change anything in the world."
Along with partisanship, credibility is another problem for blogs.
There's nothing in the First Amendment about the need for an editor. Bloggers can write anything they want; they can spout fact or fiction. Jacobs advises readers to beware: "There's no gatekeeping here."
Patrick Timmons, founder of the Minnesota Republican Watch blog, got into blogging for the sake of accuracy. He said he read a statement on a conservative blog that he believed was incorrect.
The college student said he won't post anything without researching first."A blog lives and dies by its credibility," Timmons said. "If you don't have that, you don't have anything."
Minnesota's political blogs are a lively bunch and number in the dozens. While they represent a diverse background, more would be considered conservative than liberal.
The most famous is the conservative blog Power Line; its authors are celebrities in the blogosphere. Last year, Power Line was credited with publicizing the serious questions surrounding the "60 Minutes" report about President Bush's military record.
Time magazine named it blog of the year. Power Line claims a regular readership of 120,000, with 60,000 to 80,000 people checking out the blog daily, said contributor Scott W. Johnson, a lawyer for TCF Bank.
Ed Morrissey, also known as Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters, writes for a bigger audience than just those who frequent his blog. The call center manager writes for publications across the country, including the Washington Post and the Weekly Standard.
Other blogs and their authors also have captured media attention.
Minnesota Democrats Exposed beat out the major media outlets in September with news that businessman Kelly Doran was switching from the U.S. Senate race to the Minnesota governor's race.
In April, when blogs published photos of state Sen. Michele Bachmann — the sponsor of a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman — observing a gay-rights rally from behind a row of bushes, both the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune responded with articles.
Blogs are getting the nod from political candidates, too. Last year, the Republican Party had a special section for bloggers at its national convention.Such courting of bloggers reflects the new political reality.
"I'm crazy enough to think we can make a small difference in this race,'' said Gary Miller of Kennedy v. the Machine, a pro-Republican blog devoted to the U.S. Senate race.
But just how much power blogs have to influence next year's elections in Minnesota is unknown.
"I'd say definitely blogs are part of the equation for campaigns and elections,'' said Mark Drake, communications director for Minnesota's Republican Party. "How significant they are remains to be seen." Source: Pioneer Press, December 27, 2005
##
Can blogs tip votes in '06 races?;
Web sites attract like-minded readers, blunting their effect
They're the new talk radio.
Blogs — the sometimes insightful, sometimes profane, online interactive diaries rapidly proliferating on the Internet — have infiltrated politics as you know it.
Campaigns and political parties cater to bloggers, giving them special access to events or inside information to post on their Web sites. Newspaper and television reporters might think of blogs as small-time players, but increasingly those reporters are competing with blogs for two things journalists covet: an audience and scoops.
In Minnesota — where a vibrant political blogging community has emerged — bloggers are hoping to play a big role in the 2006 campaign, a potentially pivotal year in state politics.
Several bloggers already have launched sites focused on the U.S. Senate race. Blogs will have an impact. The question is how much.
Craig Westover, who blogs at craig westover.blogspot.com and contributes to the Pioneer Press opinion pages, says he and his fellow bloggers are outworking the traditional media outlets on this big story, devoting more time and attention."They're going to eat the newspapers' lunch," Westover said.
Not so fast, others said.
Experts say readers typically look at blogs more in line with their own political ideologies, and that reduces their impact.
"There are some right-wing blogs that even if you tried to have a conversation with them, it's essentially a bunch of frat guys having a party and doing a beer dance,'' said Michael McIntee, producer for the Inside Minnesota Politics blog and podcast. "And that's not useful; it's pretty much making noise.
"People who possess strong political beliefs are able to read "almost exclusively from information sources that support their already existing views," said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study for Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.
Partisan blogs might help people on the fence decide whom to vote for, said Nora Paul, director of the Institute for New Media Studies at the University of Minnesota. But they're not about to change minds, especially when the readers go to blogs with similar views.
Rex Sorgatz, creator of the mnspeak.com online forum, said a significant number of the political blogs listed on his Web site are "intrinsically partisan." He said he doesn't have anything against those blogs, but he's "not sure those kinds of blogs are going to change anything in the world."
Along with partisanship, credibility is another problem for blogs.
There's nothing in the First Amendment about the need for an editor. Bloggers can write anything they want; they can spout fact or fiction. Jacobs advises readers to beware: "There's no gatekeeping here."
Patrick Timmons, founder of the Minnesota Republican Watch blog, got into blogging for the sake of accuracy. He said he read a statement on a conservative blog that he believed was incorrect.
The college student said he won't post anything without researching first."A blog lives and dies by its credibility," Timmons said. "If you don't have that, you don't have anything."
Minnesota's political blogs are a lively bunch and number in the dozens. While they represent a diverse background, more would be considered conservative than liberal.
The most famous is the conservative blog Power Line; its authors are celebrities in the blogosphere. Last year, Power Line was credited with publicizing the serious questions surrounding the "60 Minutes" report about President Bush's military record.
Time magazine named it blog of the year. Power Line claims a regular readership of 120,000, with 60,000 to 80,000 people checking out the blog daily, said contributor Scott W. Johnson, a lawyer for TCF Bank.
Ed Morrissey, also known as Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters, writes for a bigger audience than just those who frequent his blog. The call center manager writes for publications across the country, including the Washington Post and the Weekly Standard.
Other blogs and their authors also have captured media attention.
Minnesota Democrats Exposed beat out the major media outlets in September with news that businessman Kelly Doran was switching from the U.S. Senate race to the Minnesota governor's race.
In April, when blogs published photos of state Sen. Michele Bachmann — the sponsor of a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman — observing a gay-rights rally from behind a row of bushes, both the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune responded with articles.
Blogs are getting the nod from political candidates, too. Last year, the Republican Party had a special section for bloggers at its national convention.Such courting of bloggers reflects the new political reality.
"I'm crazy enough to think we can make a small difference in this race,'' said Gary Miller of Kennedy v. the Machine, a pro-Republican blog devoted to the U.S. Senate race.
But just how much power blogs have to influence next year's elections in Minnesota is unknown.
"I'd say definitely blogs are part of the equation for campaigns and elections,'' said Mark Drake, communications director for Minnesota's Republican Party. "How significant they are remains to be seen." Source: Pioneer Press, December 27, 2005
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Nice work, MDE!
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