Thoughts on Dick Feagler's Blog Column

It's funny that Dick's column appeared when it did. Just two days earlier I was having a conversation over coffee with Tim and Gloria Ferris about the "ethics" of the blog world. As I recall, my view was that the the things Dick frets over will work out okay through natural forces because the blog world is a perfect example of an economic marketplace for ideas.

Think back to Econ 101 and the basic market -- supply and demand, buyers and sellers, and arriving at an efficient equilibrium when there are a sufficient number of participants on both axis of the graph. Blogs are a superb example of this.

Yes there are blogs out there that are suspect, yes there is no autocratic regulation. However, there are enough buyers and sellers (publishers and readers) of blogs that over time the crass, non-factual, fantasy purveyors will lose out to the more credible, fact-based, bloggers who have something valid to contribute to society -- in other words, the market will sort itself out and as the blog world matures and becomes more sophisticated, the bad bloggers will lose out to the good ones through the demand of buyers (readers). And if that doesn't happen, who cares; that Dick compared and contrasted the blog world to what the PD passes off as fact-checked news and then came to the conclusion that the PD provides a better place for news and information in the broader marketplace of ideas got my hackles up.

Speaking of fantasy, let's retire from Dick's la la land for a moment and examine some of the more meaningful comparisons between the PD and blog world.

1. All "legitimate" blogs allow readers to comment in real time, right next to the post in question. This allows for immediate feedback, criticism, support, adjustment, correction etc. of any post. Moreover, it opens a dialogue on issues whereby blog readers and publishers can engage in repartee that may enlighten both the commenter, publisher and other readers and has the potential for greatly contributing to the understanding of the particular issue. The PD occasionally publishes a limited number of "letters to the editor" that the PD selects and edits for content. No dialogue here. No opportunity for an open discussion about the particular issue or to bring in nuance that may help the understanding. There is a line in the movie "The Paper" starring Michael Keaton and Glenn Close where Glenn Close, the managing editor of a large daily NYC paper says, "We only have to be right for a day." Blog postings are on the blog site for, well, potentially forever (a helluva lot longer than a day anyway). So bloggers, as opposed to the PD have to be right for longer than a day; they have many more natural constraints to get things right at any given moment than the PD does.

2. If you don't believe a particular blog is credible, find another one. It won't be much longer and everyone, their brother, and their brother's cat will have a blog on the internet. Keep searching for a blog 'till you find one that you feel is credible. Does this work with the PD? Nope. If one finds the PD to not be credible, he or she can just switch to another newspaper right? Oh yeah, I forgot the PD has a de facto monopoly on news and information in this region. Maybe that's why the PD is pooh-poohing blogs so much; is it possible the "Standard Oil of Northeast Ohio News" is 'fraid of the blog world -- I mean, after all, God forbid, they might actually have to consider their readership instead of just their advertisers. Speaking of advertising....

3. Even though some blogs contain ads, there aren't many "professional" bloggers out there whose primary purpose is profit maximization. Can the same be said about the PD? Print media, like all media, has become big business first and, frankly, it seems from time to time that the press's desire to live up to their responsibilities that come with the privilege of having 1st Amendment protections takes a back seat to the almighty dollar. These editors Dick promotes as the end all be all of fact checking; who do they answer to? The readership? Or the advertisers that pay their salaries?

4. If blogs are so hideous, why does every major media outlet, whether print, TV, or whatever have their own blog or series of blogs including, I might add, the PD? Incidentally, few if any of these blogs allow even moderately unfettered comments from readers. If the PD is truly the "best bet when it comes to trying to tell the truth in print" why would the PD need an Ombudsperson, er "reader representative" to justify their work and editorial decisions.

I have always thought Dick was a curmudgeon, but it was okay with me because he was "our" curmudgeon and once in a while he would write a column that waxed of nostalgia just when our collective psyche needed it. But this column proves that Dick should stick to nostalgia. He has no business commenting on "modern" things like blogging. Most disappointing of all (and ironic to be sure), is that it is clear that Dick did absolutely no fact-checking of his own to find out what blogs are all about before writing this column. In these matters, the curmudgeon we all love to hate has melted away leaving in place an old man who does not have the foggiest idea what he is talking about.

Did I speak too soon about Red Light/Speeding Cameras

Automated ticket cams challenged
Steubenville lawyer says they're unlawful

By John Higgins and Andale Gross
Beacon Journal staff writers

A lawyer in Steubenville, Gary M. Stern, doesn't think his city's automated speeding enforcement, which began Sept. 23, is legal and he's trying to bring a class-action lawsuit to stop it.

The plaintiff is his wife, April Stern, who got two $85 tickets in the mail because she was the registered owner of the car, although she wasn't driving when the car was photographed.

Stern won an early victory on Monday when a Jefferson County Common Pleas Court judge granted a temporary injunction shutting off the cameras until a final hearing in January.

Now, why didn't I think of that? Looks like the "law" and not the law of diminishing returns I referred to in an earlier post will truncate this stream of revenue. Kudos to Counselor Stern.

Liberty Watch - Part 1

While attempting to curtail the privacy rights of average citizens like me and you, the Bush Administration has added privacy protections for civilian federal employees and severely restricted the citizenry to know the Who, What, Where, Why and How Much of the federal government.

Government staff names now withheld from citizens
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Michael J. Sniffen, Associated Press

Washington - Breaking a tradition of openness that began in 1816, the Bush administration has without explanation withheld the names and work locations of about 900,000 of its civilian workers, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

[Click link for full article]

...And the wool is pulled ever-so-slightly further over our eyes....

The New Sin Tax -- Why Red Light/Speeding Cameras are Here to Stay

Perhaps Mayor (soon to be "Lady") Jane was right about one thing...red light cameras are a great source of revenue.

I must admit, I was highly skeptical and, acting in the role of armchair economist, I professed that some variation of the law of diminishing returns would come into play and, eventually, over time ticketed drivers would either slow down or stop running red lights (or run out of cash to pay the fines). In any event, it was a stream of revenue that could not last forever (of course, wholly beside is the very valid point that the rationale [if there is one] for red-light cameras should be to improve safety; not serve as a stop-gap to municipal budget shortfalls).

Nonetheless, an article in the online version of the ABJ (Akron Beacon Journal), excerpted below, leads me to think that short-term financial boosts will entice every city, town, burgh, etc. to sign up for these red-light cameras (or some variation thereof).

Nestor Traffic Systems photographed more than 2,600 alleged speeders this fall -- snapping as many as seven cars a minute -- in and around Akron school zones.
The take in fines in that 19-day period: nearly half a million dollars.

Nearly $500,000 in fines?!?!?!?!?

Is there any doubt that Linndale will be installing these on I-71 within the week?

Final thought: acquiescence to BIG BROTHER in the name of public safety is bad enough. But in the name of increased government revenue? Whoa! Welcome to double entendre hell. This should drive Libertarians absolutely berserk.