News roundup – Broder, Woodward, PTSD and blog rules

Bob Woodward and David Broder, BUCKrakers

Woody and the “dean of journalists” have sold the remaining scraps of their integrity by whoring for speakers’ fees.

In Broder’s case, who paid for his speeches appears to have affected his columns at times.

With Woodward, he recycled, or “halowashed,” his donations to a “charity” he and his wife run — mainly helping reduce tuition at elite Sidwell Friends, where their kids go, and raising property values in their neighborhood with tree plantings.

Update: Ken Silverstein reports that Washington Post ombudsman Deborah Howell is giving both Woody and Broder a slap on the wrist, while promising “further investigation.” Why does this sound like the Bush Administration?

VA drug dumps on PTSD vets

Here’s my skeptical take not just on the Chantix experiment, but on the larger PTSD experiments and wondering about whether Big Pharma has a hand in this at all. Having been diagnosed myself, I can certainly tell you that reputable psychiatrists, knowing Chantix’s black-box warnings and public history, wouldn’t have tried it.

Texas GOP racism

The state GOP claims it didn’t know about the private vendor who sold the racist anti-Obama pin. Yeah, right.

Bloggers, stop copying so much

The AP is developing official fair use standards for bloggers.

More details and analysis at the links.

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Blogging Burma

CNN reports that Burmese citizens were risking their lives to send photos of the protest crackdown over their cell phones to the world outside.

Foreign journalists, at least one of whom is believed to have been killed by the military in their initial attack on protesters, have been barred from the country. Burma, suffering under a brutal dictatorship, has no free press. The only thing keeping the truth about Burma alive was the Internet, and the courage of ordinary citizens.

Ko Htike, a Burmese refugee living in London, has been blogging the protests and the ensuing crackdown live. Earlier today, the military junta cut the country off from the Internet, but Htike is still blogging, still collecting information, still making sure that this time, the world knows exactly what's happening.

Warning: Photo now at top of Ko Htike's page is graphic and disturbing.

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My Bonafides

I haven't blogged in a bit. I went out of the country and got an awful parasite that really put me under (-20 pounds in 7 weeks). But, this illness is evidence of my pedigree as a political blogger - being out of the country, that is.

Today, I have been treated to the rancor of Richard Cohen who believes that I and my fellow bloggers are no more well-read than, say, the ability to read Harry Potter ( I have read all seven more than twice and would gladly read many more); less traveled than a newborn moving from the birthing room to the nursery; and, less educated than the well-known drop out (name anyone) from my high school class.

Atrios takes exception.

Kos puts his son on record.

Kevin Drum sums it up best with the elite of blogosphere.

I only wish I was in this elite company but I'll take my shot:

• I am a native Floridian and have never lived anywhere else - Cohen +1.
• I have traveled to 12 foreign countries - Deb-TUD +1 = game even.
• My longest foreign stay was 6 weeks - Cohen + 1/2.
• I read and write one foreign language. Speaking, not so good - Deb-TUD + 1/2.

Still even but I think the tide is about to shift:

• I have traveled to 47 of our 50 states - Deb-TUD +1.
• I read an average of one book a week and at least one NON-FICTION per month - Deb-Tud +1.
• I read an average of 3 state newspapers, 6 national news websites (CNN, NYTimes, Washington Post, McClatchy, MSNBC, Reuters, FoxNews), as well as 20+ blogs including RedState, Right Thinking and Little Green Footballs at least twice every day.
• I was first of my DAR generation in my family (1673 on dad's side; 1770 on mom's) to graduate from college. BBA (cum laude), enrolled in MBA - Deb-TUD +1.
• I started, owned, operated and sold a successful business - Deb-TUD +1.

Getting better:

• Married 28 years to one person, happily (family values) - Deb-TUD +1.
• Pre-registered to vote at 17 and have missed only 1 election (municipal, special, primary, et al), due to a flat tire - Deb-TUD +1.
• Never voted a party line without looking at the candidates - Deb-TUD +1.

I'm not an "elite" blogger. That is not the point.

I am a well-informed citizen who is NOT shrill; who is NOT uneducated; who IS well-traveled; who IS well-read; who is polite; but, who WILL speak out.

That, I think, is really the issue with bloggers. Like everyone else on this site and elsewhere: We are reasoned. We are logical.

If we were barefoot and barely walking upright, no one would pay us attention. That is what the Very Serious People need us to be; otherwise, as you know, they would be irrelevant.

(Please note the appropriate use of the semi-colon, in its various uses, throughout this post. It enhances my bonafides. Thank you.)

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For Mandarin: Why We Do What We Do

I didn't know Mandarin well, being a newcomer to this blog. But I thought of him today reading the comments on Glenn Greenwald's Salon post about MSM hysteria over bloggers.

Glenn made a remark about bloggers' growing self-sufficiency, and commenter paradox_left_coaster objected, writing:

Sorry, this self-sufficiency meme is just completely wrong--in money terms Glenn is correct that blogging is just beginning to break out of total reliance for reporting (far as I know, only 2 do it, FDL and TPM), but to state that blogs are self-sufficient as complete entities is flatly wrong.

Only a few make money. I don't know what happened, really, but when Steve Gilliard died something snapped in me, God how undignified it was. Steve deserved a hell of a lot better to have the cup passed around at his death. I hated it, just hated it that somehow even in death our best bloggers are still left begging.

Mike Stark was at Kos's place last night just on this topic, we've got to find better and new revenue streams for our writers. Does anyone think they can keep this up for another 20 years? For nothing?

My hope was that, is that, someone (anyone!) wake up in the Democratic party and get some revenue out there to their best writers. Jesus is sticks in my craw, how many tens of millions did we raise for the party? What do they do for appreciation or sustainability, heya? Not a god damn thing. Fucking Democrats, I'm surprised they put their clothes on in the morning most days.

We are still in infancy, and a long, long way from true sustained growth that rewards our people. I pray for it and work for it every day, but we are a not there yet.

SomeNYguy, a regular Glenn commenter who never disappoints, responded thus:

Not for nothing. For our country. For our Constitution. For our humanity. For our souls.

I get paid to do a job other people want me to do. I would love to get paid for doing what I believe is the right thing to do, but I'd also like to eat chocolate ice cream day and night yet remain slim and healthy. That's simply an unrealistic expectation.

If you want to support yourself and your family in comfort, you don't join the Peace Corps.

It's awfully nice when you can earn a decent living doing the right thing, but it's the rare exception to the rule.

Those of us who have jobs and blog in our spare time may envy those who get to do it all day and all night, but we forget that for many of them, their blogs are their jobs, their readership their source of income.

If you have just one blog that you really love, one that by virtue of its newsworthiness, or its trenchant analysis, or its humor, makes the world a better place, help it out. If it accepts contributions, send it some money today. If it depends on ad income, publicize it to all your friends, relatives, co-workers and strangers on the street.

As Glenn and others make clear daily, a political and cultural Dark Ages is looming, and progressive bloggers are the last line of resistance. Help arm them for the good fight.

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