Just confirmed my appearance tonight, talking about cutbacks at newspapers and elsewhere in the media -- and what it means, or doesn't mean, for the traditional watchdog role of the press, and for the growth of journalism on the Web.
Should be a good discussion. As much as we all complain about the mainstream media, we should also recognize the important watchdog role played (particularly) by newspapers.
But, amid the cutbacks in the newsrooms and foreign bureaus (and in places like Iraq and Afghanistan), is that watchdog role already severely compromised with worse to come?
Yes, there is so much to complain about regarding the sins of omission and commission in the press. I have done plenty of that myself. But when you want to link to a really important story -- or just a credible fact or quote -- where do you go? Most often, to a mainstream news site.
At the same time, thank god, sites like DailyKos and TPM and so many others now feature a great deal of original research/reporting. Just today, Glenn Greenwald and Amy Goodman were named co-winners of the I.F. "Izzy" Stone Award.
Speaking of TPM, they have just wrapped up a full week of discussion surrounding my new book, Why Obama Won (some of which first appeared at Daily Kos).
The book, in fact, argues that "new media" and Web-based organizing/funding were key to Obama's victory. If you are interested in catching up to that TPM discussion, here is the link.
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Greg Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher. "Why Obama Won" is his ninth book.