{"id":564,"date":"2004-02-19T07:56:06","date_gmt":"2004-02-19T07:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tommangan.net\/printsthechaff\/?p=564"},"modified":"2004-02-19T07:56:06","modified_gmt":"2004-02-19T07:56:06","slug":"watching-the-watching-watchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tommangan.net\/printsthechaff\/2004\/02\/watching-the-watching-watchers\/","title":{"rendered":"Watching the watching watchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jay Rosen lobs some zingers<\/a> at CJR’s Campaign Desk, which carries around a digital backpack full double-standards. The folks at the Desk have riled many bloggers with a nannylike insistence that bloggers who want to be respected must behave respectably. To which the bloggers said, essentially, “we don’t have to, so we won’t.”
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So, anyway, Jay boils all this down to one of his typically insightful pieces (the guy’s smarts in comparison to say, mine, is a twin source of admiration and irritation: I’m like, how come he gets all the brains?), playing the respectful watcher of the presumed watchdogs.<\/p>\n

Which brings up the inevitable question: Who’s watching Jay? And who’s watching that watcher?<\/p>\n

Which brings me to the inevitable conclusion that the whole “watchdog” model CJR has adopted makes no sense online. Nobody can plausibly declare themselves the final authority in an arena where everything is up for grabs.
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Which brings us back to the “news is a conversation” line Jeff Jarvis<\/a> has repeated so many times. Out here it’s impossible to establish the facts beyond doubt — the best you can hope for is a rough consensus among reasonable people.<\/p>\n

I’m guessing that over time the folks at CJR will have their Come to Jesus Moment and realize this. They’re smart and capable so it can’t escape them what what they’re doing now, though admirable, is like trying hold back the ocean with their bare hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jay Rosen lobs some zingers at CJR’s Campaign Desk, which carries around a digital backpack full double-standards. The folks at the Desk have riled many bloggers with a nannylike insistence that bloggers who want to be respected must behave respectably.…<\/p>\n

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