I wrote this essay for USA Today in response to a meeting between leftbloggers and former President Bill Clinton at his Harlem headquarters. Along with my forthcoming book, BLOGWARS, it argues that blogging has "arrived" in politics today. Politicians and political professionals (as well as journalists and media workers) are "blogging up," and trying to figure out how to use blogs in their business.
Note: One of the big differences between your own blog and writing for the mainstream press is that you get edited by the latter--something I always accept (along with a check!). So, for example, I wrote the piece just after the blog lunch, but it was not printed until now because the paper wanted to put it closer to the election, which made sense. In any case, the original is below. A few lines that were cut--mostly for reasons of length--are now restored.
How will the Clintons harness the political force of the blog?
By David D. Perlmutter
USA Today, Monday October...
a.k.a. “Bush and Rumsfeld and Iraq and Troops and “Terror! or Insurgen!” and “Mess”
In what was dubbed a “referendum on Iraq,” voters in the midterm elections were characterized in mainstream media as casting votes not necessarily for a particular candidate, but against the war in Iraq. And while in some cases such a blanket statement is inaccurate, the very fact that it is was mentioned with such recurring frequency suggests it played a materially significant role.
The GOP was battered with barbs from both the right and the left in the weeks leading up to the election. The generic charge was that they were “out of touch” with reality. One of the chief targets of criticism was the recently-retired Donald Rumsfeld. In what may be viewed as an appropriate parting gift, The BBC reported the Department of Defense established a new program at the Pentagon to “boost its ability to counter ‘inaccurate’ news stories and exploit new media.”
The program is designed...
UPDATED
As of this writing in winter 2006, there is a paradox in American politics. On the one hand, we are fighting an unpopular war in Iraq--at least as measured by public opinion polls. (See below for more on this complex question.) On the other hand, there is no visible large-scale anti-war movement in the traditional sense. Many explanations are possible for such a seeming contradiction. Practically speaking, the lack of a draft relieves most young people of a sense of personal connection to the struggle in Iraq. But the Internet in general and blogs in particular have provided an outlet for activism and for creating organizational links between people distant from each other in space but sympathetic in politics, so that one could make a case that there is simply no longer a need to take to the streets. Perhaps the “whole world” is marching and watching via blogs, YouTube, Facebook and MySpace?
But there is another side to the...
Some new works on blogging and politics:
The latest cover design of my forthcoming book, BLOGWARS (Oxford University Press).
Two recent research articles on blogging:
David D. Perlmutter & Mary Schoen. "If I Break A Rule, What Do I Do, Fire Myself? Ethics Codes of Independent Blogs," 22(1) 2007: 37-48, Journal of Mass Media Ethics.
Svetlana V. Kulikova and David D. Perlmutter. "Blogging Down the Dictator? The Kyrgyz Revolution and 'Samizdat' Websites." International Communication Gazette, 69(1) 2007: 29-50.
Also one older one for reference:
David D. Perlmutter & Misti McDaniel. "The Ascent of Blogging." Nieman Reports, 59(3) Fall 2005: 60-64.
--------------
Next: A 2006 Survey of Political Bloggers.
Details follow....
Dr. Dhavan Shah (dshah@wisc.edu)
Dr. David D. Perlmutter (ddp@ku.edu)
Collected survey data in Dec. 2006 from:
(a) cross-section of the top political bloggers
(b) thousands of blog visitors to these websites
66 bloggers from 58 blogs participated
Sampled from top 150 political blogs
3,909 readers from 40 blogs responded to reader survey.
73.8% Male, 26.2% Female
43.1% Dem., 30.7% Rep., 14.2% Libertarian, 1.7% Green
Mean age = 46; Median income...
This week I am presenting at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo, 2007 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas. I will moderate two panels. Created by blogger Rick Calvert, BW will be the first business expo to showcase blogging as well as the other interactive "new" media. The array of talents and sponsors is impressive.
The first panel , on Thursday, Nov. 8 will focus on "The Power of Political Blogosphere." The scheduled panelists include: Hugh Hewitt, Pam Spaulding, Dave Nalle, Taylor Marsh, and Brad Friedman.
On Friday, Nov. 9, I will moderate "Political Blogs Vs. The Political Press" featuring John Hinderaker, Brad Freidman Mary Katharine Ham, and Taylor Marsh.
Here are the current drafts of my presentations.
Originally posted November 6, 2007 at PolicyByBlog
...
Update! The progam video is now available.
Dole Institute to host panel discussion on military blogs
LAWRENCE — As a follow-up to a successful program in early 2007 on political Weblogs, the Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence, KS, will host a panel discussion about another dynamic and growing community on the Internet: military blogs (also known as “milblogs”).
Blogs from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan have allowed readers at home to connect with soldiers, contractors and civilians who are serving their countries, and they have forced the Pentagon to rush headlong into this 21st century medium.
Milblogs began to appear shortly after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. They saw a dramatic increase in usage following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. According to Joshua Patterson, a KU graduate student studying journalism, Milblogging.com had indexed more than 1,800 military blogs in more than 30 countries as of Dec. 1, 2007.
“Milblogs and soldier blogs are often gripping and graphic firsthand accounts...
I am scheduled to be on the DAILY SHOW with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central this Thursday (May 8) to talk about political blogging and my book, BLOGWARS. Everyone's first piece of advice for me about being a good guest: Don't try to be funny. I think I can manage that…
The Daily Show has become an institution of American politics very much linked to a culture where people--especially younger voters--seek out political information from non-traditional sources. [A KU student (Nathan Rodriguez) in our school's master's program is writing his thesis on the show, to some extent based on his time as an intern.] The show is part of the political culture it satirizes and, in some cases, influences it. The show is considered a source of information, an explainer of politics, and of course a "speaker" of (funny) truth to power.
TDS's effects are hard to quantify: Think in terms of Saturday Night Live's "effect" on the Clinton-Obama race! However, there...
I was profiled for my blogging research and experience in the Lawrence Journal World. By the way, I have to say, if there is a Daily Show effect, I am living proof. It is truly amazing how much attention I have gotten from a few minutes of television. Thanks, Mr. Stewart (and Rob Riggle who introduced me)!
Originally posted August 18, 2008 at PolicyByBlog
...
I was interviewed by Care2, a company that provides online outreach for nonprofits.
David Perlmutter Talks Blogs, Interactors, and Jon Stewart
David Perlmutter, author of the new book Blog Wars, is a professor at the University of Kansas School of Journalism & Mass Communications. Perlmutter, who was a recent guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, sat down in Washington in early August for an interview with Care2’s Clint O’Brien to talk about how blogging is reshaping media and changing the way citizens think about politics and social causes.
Clint O'Brien: What inspired you to write this book?
David Perlmutter: Blog Wars began as an idea as early as the mid-90s. In 1996 a friend and I did a study of presidential campaign websites. Basically, what we found was that they were pretty much static bulletin boards: speeches, statements, pictures just posted up there. No real interactivity. At the same time, I had been writing a lot on new communication technologies...
Some other blogging and elections talks:
--David D. Perlmutter. International webtalk on "The American Elections and Online Social-Interactive Media" sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, November 3, 2008.
Read: The transcript of the webchat.
--David D. Perlmutter. Keynote Speaker. "The American elections." Tele-Video Conference sponsored by by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, October 21, 2008.
Originally posted November 18, 2008 at PolicyByBlog...