The Point: Mr. Rains, if youll do the honors . . .

March 18, 2009

Mr. Rains, if you’ll do the honors . . .

by Gina Dalfonzo

From Mark Hemingway in The Corner, quoting Politico:

For the past two years, several hundred left-leaning bloggers, political reporters, magazine writers, policy wonks and academics have talked stories and compared notes in an off-the-record online meeting space called JournoList. . . .

I've been hearing rumblings about this for a while, and I'm glad Politico finally did a story on it. Basically, "mainstream" journalists from The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, the New York Times, Politico, and many others chat all day on a list-serv with liberal activists and journalists.

Accoring to New Republic editor John Judis, "There is probably general agreement on the stupidity of today’s GOP," on the list. From a few conversations I've had with some people in the know about the list, that's something of an understatement. While members of the list such as Jeffrey Toobin insist the list isn't "pushing an agenda," why are there no conservatives participating? The article sure doesn't list any. Even though just about every staffer at The Nation, The New Republic, The American Prospect, etc. is on the list, I'm on pretty good terms with just about everyone at NR, The Weekly Standard, and The American Spectator and I know of no one who participates. (Nor is [there] any similar list-serv on the right.) Have any conservatives even been asked?

Further, one of the most valuable currencies in Washington is access to the press. The article notes that many stories have started on or been shaped by JournoList. If you're a liberal blogger or activist, you can now push your story on the highest echelons of journalism with a quick email. If you're a mainstream journalist, is it really ethical that you don't give the opposing view equal access?

There's really only one response to all this.