The new Fourth Estate
By: Joan Ruddiman
Every young student knows about the checks and balances of the U.S. government. Executive enforces laws, Congress passes laws, Judiciary makes sure the laws respect the Constitution.
But who keeps an eye on the Big Three? Student Ben is a sharp kid and his answer was, "The people." But how do the people know who is working for them and who needs to be booted out?
The Fourth Estate the press. Evidence of the power of what we call "the media" is seen in the first acts of any totalitarian government eliminate freedom of the press. Control the news and control the people.
But what if the threat to the freedom of the press comes from within? What if people stop reading the news? What if people don’t trust those who gather and deliver the news? The numbers on big city daily newspaper readership are down way down according to Wall Street Journal reports and circulation figures released by The New York Times. Less advertising dollars are being spent on print ads, further decimating newspapers.
But what about televised news? Not good, either. The major anchors Tom, Peter and Dan are now gone after a long reign. No princes (or princesses as it were) have been crowned the next King Cronkite. Advertising monies, like viewers, are going elsewhere.
Are Americans really tuning out news? Are we disengaging from the public discourse and ultimately turning away from the basic tenet of our democracy?
No, no and no. Americans still are avid consumers of the news. Albeit, who won on American Idol is the big story, but ask anyone and they know it was the old dude that came through. We still talk about the news on breaks, with family, and often with passion that fuels hot debates.
To the question of where do we get national and international news, the answer is as big as the world. The Wall Street Journal writes often about "the market shift." Big city newspapers are trying to lure young readers, but young readers have already been wooed and won by the Internet. They get their news from online editions of print and electronic media, and blogs, which are online diaries published as Web pages..
The news is everywhere we are, thanks to portable Internet laptops, handheld devices and even the latest high-tech cell phones. Within a span of less than five years, we can carry the news in our pockets, not in briefcases.
Here’s another interesting consideration. If we believe both the political left and the right "Talk radio is slanted! Fox News is the devil!" and we believe newspapers and network television are biased the balance lies with the bloggers who cover all angles.
In the spirit of this new way of thinking, Book Notes offers a roundup of news on blogs. Also, in the spirit of "it’s summer!" that for many means a bit more time to play around, here’s a way to get started with exploring a whole new world of news and information.
First, not all blogs are created equal. Please! Literally anyone can and many do set up their own personal log and share with the world every mundane detail of his or her life. Teens have Zanga and MySpace. They are rather useless and can be really dangerous. Parents, take note! But many blogs are postings by reputable and knowledgeable people who take the time to share all manner of interesting ideas.
Matt Phillips, a Wall Street Journal reporter, periodically has a column titled "Blog Watch." He’s reviewed "The Happy Slob’s Guide to Housecleaning" and "The Sports Economist" and "Management by Baseball" that "aims to uncover the genius of successful Major League teams."
See? Something for everyone.
"The Week," a new weekly news roundup periodical did a "best" list that included rating and awarding a "Blogger of the Year." The winner was Ed Morrissey of www.Captainsquartersblog.com and blogs mostly about Canadian politics. When the Canadian government banned news coverage of the investigation of a Liberal Party member, Morrissey got the story. Canadians read Morrissey’s blog to get the news that was blacked out in all the Canadian papers.
For those who follow news north of us, the Liberal Party lost big time in this last election. Morrissey may have had a hand in the defeat of the party that was under intense investigation as only he could report.
Other bloggers noted by the editors of "This Week" include Arianna Huffington’s liberal postings that have moved from riffs by Hollywood celebrities to "an eclectic mix of progressive intellectuals."
On the other side of the political fence is Michelle Malkin who blogs on national security, immigration and radical Islam. Her site gets hacked by those unhappy with her stance on the Prophet Mohammed cartoons, for example, but she is acknowledged as being well read and sharply analytical.
Brendan Loy of www.Irishtrojan.com was a student blogger with typical postings on "politics, sports, law and hurricanes." Last August, Loy tracked Hurricane Katrina and the lack of response from officials in New Orleans. Three days before the hurricane struck and two days before Mayor Ray Nagin ordered an evacuation, Loy posted, "If I were in New Orleans, I would seriously consider getting the hell out of Dodge right now."
The judges called Loy’s site "citizen journalism at its finest."
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Students, celebrity watchers and professional political players are writing and posting their thoughts online for millions to read. Sounds like free and engaged discourse in an active democracy.
Consider the judges for this blogger award. Ann Marie Cox is the founding editor of www.Wonkette.com, a political blog. Jeff Jarvis, of www.Buzzmachine.com, was the brains behind www.Advance.net and is now the editor of "Entertainment Weekly." Nick Gillespie is the editor-in-chief of "Reason," a libertarian monthly magazine and he blogs at www.Reason.com/hitandrun.
The last word goes to Glenn Reynolds, of the very clever www.Instapundit.com. Reynolds, who was on the blogger-judging panel, is a law professor at the University of Tennessee. He has written a book titled "An Army of Davids" about how technology empowers ordinary people.
It is a brave new world, folks, and this is nothing to be afraid of. The news is alive and well and in many hands. That can only be good for the spirit of democracy.
Dr. Joan Ruddiman, Ed.D., is a teacher and friend of the Allentown Public Library.

