They Have No Idea

While we are on the subject of the news;

Lets face it, if you read trusted and respected blogs (such as my blogroll) you are some of the most informed people in the world. If you just visit Drudge a couple of times a day you are ahead of 75% of the public.

Speaking of Drudge, he really needs to hire someone again! His news is old and stale. Just a few months ago Jason asked me if shows like Fox and Friends just read Drudge and covered those stories, and it seemed as if that were the case. But today - now that his contributor moved on to the Huff and Puff Place his site isn't updated overnight most nights, and even during the day the updates are few and far between. He missed the NY Grenade story, the runaway bride returns (really up his ally), and pope news.

I am seriously considering finding a new news/breaking news page (if you have a good one let me know in comments.)

Back to the point, there are three or four TV news people who are as informed as blog readers are. Notably Brit Hume, Shepard Smith, John Gibson, Neil Cavuto, and Joe Scarborough.

And that is it!

On occasion you will get comments from people like Chris Mathews, Cal Thomas, or Bill O'reilly (who, because of his radio show, is a bit better informed) who only trust the "real" media sources like the AP or NY Times. These guys have repeatedly made comments that indicate that they have no clue when a story has progressed throughout the day beyond the birdcage liner.

The majority of the MSM are just media snobs who are out of date and will be left with their ink stained fingers of old news as their viewers realize they know more about the story then these hosts. What blogs they know of blogs are rumor and smear blogs (can you say Kos).

In Thomas' column today he proves that he, along with many of his compatriots, is now completely out of touch with modern media and information gathering. As Ace says;

Here, Cal Thomas makes an old-fogey jackass out of himself by screaming at the neighborhood kids to "Keep your damn blogs out of my yard!"

Cal says;

serious subjects such as the war and coming conflicts with China and possibly Russia take a back seat.If the public is unprepared for new threats and challenges, it will largely be the big media's fault for failing to prepare them. The public will share the blame for fixating on blogs.

In this he is completely and utterly wrong! Readers of blogs like those in my blogroll know more about these issues then Cal. Perhaps Cal needs to get his grandson to redo his bookmark file, and set the clock on his VCR while he is at it?
DKK

Update -- Hog On Ice has a great post about Wankette (Wonkette) where he describes the media's knowledge of bloggers like this:

Anyway, Wankette has no compunctions about accepting invitations to go on panel shows and give incorrect answers to questions about blogging, a phenomenon with which she has no personal experience. And the lazy morons in the press, who still know nothing about blogging, persist in inviting her. This is like Art Linkletter inviting The Monkees on his show in 1969 and asking them what it's like to be a real rock star.

DKK