An A-list compliment on blog power
Doc Searls says nice things about me: (in reference to comments I made in a Jay Rosen PressThink article on Dan Rather:
Anyway, I'm not here to write about Jay or Dan. I'm here to point toward one standout among the many thoughtful folks who comment on Jay's piece: Seth Finkelstein.
And the exchange is quoted extensively (... Seth says ...) Particularly portions where I wrote:
... No, ordinary people cannot talk back. Large right-wing rant-machines can talk back. There is a difference, and don't confuse the two.
Jay, when the report does come out, can I pre-emptively plead for an attempt to get beyond the, err, master narrative here? That is, I expect a torrent then of: "Blah blah blah *THE Internet*! Blah blah *B*L*O*G*S*!! It's a new era!!!". etc. etc. You in particular are very well-situated to write an insightful article on the deep pressthinking processes within CBS.
...
... it's a mathematical fact that we all can't have a million readers. The distribution of readership is *highly* exponential. IN TERMS OF POLITICS, there are a very, very few, people who have a meaningful audience, and everyone else is just chatting to friends. If one of the editors does not select your letter for publication, I mean, one of the A-listers doesn't select your post for linking, then the ordinary person might just as well be blowing-off to bar buddies for all the effect it has. Again, this is just mathematics. The power law curve can't be wished away. ...
With regard to Dan Rather and CBS, there is a pack of right-wing attack-dogs which has hated them for *decades*. When they (Dan Rather and CBS) goofed-up - and they did, no way around that - the pack pounced with all their fury. It's not citizens vs. Mainstream Media. It's Right-Wing Partisan Media vs. Mainstream Media.
And concludes
In the meantime at the very least it helps to have sharp folks like Seth remind us how far off we can be.
For more on Seth, dig this interview in GrepLaw, where we learn that Seth, like Dave, went to More Science High.
Thank you. (I'll quit this article while I'm ahead!).
By Seth Finkelstein | posted in cyberblather | on November 29, 2004 11:59 PM (Infothought permalink) | Followups
