Chris Stern, a former telecom reporter turned media analyst, writes in The Washington Post about the great debate on the network neutrality, the tier-ing of the Internet. It is an interesting and perhaps well written article, that is going to make the general audience aware of the troubled future of network neutrality and tier-ing of the Internet. More public debate is needed, and hopefully the mass media will help foster conversation.
Still, I didn’t care much for Stern’s comment, “But lately the issue, a matter of heated debate on obscure blogs and among analysts like me, has begun to attract the attention of the mainstream press.” Which obscure blogs is he talking about? Jeff Pulver is not obscure, neither is Doc Searls. Obscure blogs, were doing the job of Washington Post, a great newspaper that’s a (proverbial) stone’s throw from FCC.
8 comments so far
3:54 AM PT
Om -
You are definitely not obscure. He must have been referring to my obscure blog and its 3 postings on the topic.
The only thing this proves is that the mass media might soon be referred to with another O-word…obsolete
6:28 AM PT
The blogs are obscure to 99.9% of the population. Could possibly add another 9 to that. Walk into your average bar (working-man or other) and ask, you’ll find out just how obscure they are. :-)
7:08 AM PT
This is typical scared columnist talk. Not only are blogs typically weeks faster than traditional media outlets, the authors are many times more informed.
MSM journalists have seen the writing on the wall so they never pass up a chance to disparage them.
7:32 AM PT
Look I am glad he did the piece, and that will bring the spot light to the issue, and working man might pay attention. that not many people read blogs, (hard to believe) but still, dismissing the “two lightening rods as obscure” is just wrong. i got really p-ofed by that. sorry, and no this was not about me. i know how much work jeff has put into this, and so has doc.
7:57 AM PT
Just noticed this might be a bit confusing:
“MSM journalists have seen the writing on the wall so they never pass up a chance to disparage them.”
MSM journalist = the Wash Po guy
Them = blogs
10:04 AM PT
om,
it’s interesting that bloggers were onto the net neutrality debate long before the mainstream media got their act together. when i wrote my feature for the national post in december, i felt like i had almost missed the boat given there had already been so much discussion in the blogosphere.
3:12 PM PT
While the “working man” might not know what a blog is, he doesn’t read the Washington Post either . . .
3:24 AM PT
For a full backgrounder on the net neutrality issue check out the camapign I just posted at http://www.freepress.net/deadend.
The threat to the freedoms of the Internet, as we have come to know them, is real. Our best defense is a public pressure campaign against Congress, the FCC and the predatory ISPs.
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