DISQUS

MonroeAnderson · 1 year ago

Great commentary. But, I'd like to point out that the MSM is being replicated in cyberspace. The e-zines and big blogs are no more reflective of diversity in America than their brick and mortar counterparts.

sinker · 1 year ago

I agree with you in terms of the big blogs & traditional media outlets online--they're definitely just reflecting the makeup of the biggs in the real world.

However, the big difference comes in access to other/marginalized/different voices. In the physical world, it was much more difficult to gain access to those voices, because to do so meant that they had the same level of distribution (the physical moving of their voices on paper from point A to point B) as the traditional papers had. As we know, that was never possible. The Defender couldn't have the same distribution reach as the Tribune based on sheer economics. The Tribs pockets could by more trucks, better plants, and more boxes to put them all in.

But online? It's as easy for me to get to a blog by a blogger writing directly from Iraq as it is for me to hear from an establishment white dude like David Brooks. Now does that mean the playing field is even? Of course not. But online the difference is in name recognition and marketing, both or which ARE possible to overcome, or at least are less daunting to overcome, without having deep pockets.