Comments on: Talking Points Memo's Polk Award a Major Step Forward http://citmedia.org/blog/2008/02/19/talking-points-memos-polk-award-a-major-step-forward/ Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:49:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Notes from a Teacher: Mark on Media » Friday squibs http://citmedia.org/blog/2008/02/19/talking-points-memos-polk-award-a-major-step-forward/comment-page-1/#comment-2364 Notes from a Teacher: Mark on Media » Friday squibs Sat, 23 Feb 2008 06:34:22 +0000 http://citmedia.org/blog/2008/02/19/talking-points-memos-polk-award-a-major-step-forward/#comment-2364 [...] Talking Points Memo’s Polk Award a Major Step Forward. This is not a journalism award for a blogger, it is a journalism award for a journalist whose primary platform is his blog. Subtle distinction, perhaps, and still a “major step forward” in validating the work that goes on outside the big media tent. More good news abut the new possibilities for journalism: Witt’s Representative Journalism Funded for $51,000. [...] [...] Talking Points Memo’s Polk Award a Major Step Forward. This is not a journalism award for a blogger, it is a journalism award for a journalist whose primary platform is his blog. Subtle distinction, perhaps, and still a “major step forward” in validating the work that goes on outside the big media tent. More good news abut the new possibilities for journalism: Witt’s Representative Journalism Funded for $51,000. [...]

]]> By: Jon Garfunkel http://citmedia.org/blog/2008/02/19/talking-points-memos-polk-award-a-major-step-forward/comment-page-1/#comment-2363 Jon Garfunkel Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:45:23 +0000 http://citmedia.org/blog/2008/02/19/talking-points-memos-polk-award-a-major-step-forward/#comment-2363 Props out to Marshall -- in the blog world, there's TPM and there's no second place. Call him a blogger, but he's an editor-publisher, with staff, deadlines, original raking. But let's get our facts straight on the <a href="http://civilities.net/TalkingPointsMeme" rel="nofollow">Talking Points Meme</a>. TPM wasn't the first to tie together the firing trend. It was Senator Dianne Feinstein's office (TPM did the right thing in reporting on it.) And the NYT wrote an editorial on the firings before TPM kicked into gear. (It's <i>possible</i> that TPM fed this to Feinstein. But Rood didn't tell me this happened, and I couldn't get a source on the justice committee to push that story either. It's more likely that when two federal prosecutors in CA got axed, they called their Senators.) As we know, TPM did run with it from this point. Grant that the WaPo was busy on Walter Reed, and the rest of the bogosphere was jammed into the Libby trial. Blog references to "U.S. Attorney" didn't surpass "Iraq surge" or "Obama" until March 13th when the NYT put the story on the front page. The overnght swarm of the document dump was overrated as well; it didn't quite produce the amount of intelligence given all the readers working on it (I have a separate article on that). But the foray into video was bold and inspired. So, cheers to TPM-- don't get complacent now! (But are they really prepared for 2009?) Props out to Marshall — in the blog world, there’s TPM and there’s no second place. Call him a blogger, but he’s an editor-publisher, with staff, deadlines, original raking.

But let’s get our facts straight on the Talking Points Meme. TPM wasn’t the first to tie together the firing trend. It was Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office (TPM did the right thing in reporting on it.) And the NYT wrote an editorial on the firings before TPM kicked into gear.

(It’s possible that TPM fed this to Feinstein. But Rood didn’t tell me this happened, and I couldn’t get a source on the justice committee to push that story either. It’s more likely that when two federal prosecutors in CA got axed, they called their Senators.)

As we know, TPM did run with it from this point. Grant that the WaPo was busy on Walter Reed, and the rest of the bogosphere was jammed into the Libby trial. Blog references to “U.S. Attorney” didn’t surpass “Iraq surge” or “Obama” until March 13th when the NYT put the story on the front page.

The overnght swarm of the document dump was overrated as well; it didn’t quite produce the amount of intelligence given all the readers working on it (I have a separate article on that). But the foray into video was bold and inspired.

So, cheers to TPM– don’t get complacent now! (But are they really prepared for 2009?)

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