"I respectfully disagree"
Tonight I was reading in the Washington Post that House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner (sadly, my Congressman) just walked out and "ended" a hearing about the reauthorization of the Patriot Act during testimony of witnesses against the Act. This action reminded me of the much talked about criticism of the DailyKos towards IPDI's Director, Carol Darr. (side note: Peter's comments on this)
Lately, it seems as if many people are no longer able to "respectfully disagree" with others. For Kos, the media has become an outlet to disagree by personal attacks, and not a way to disagree by presenting facts or a well-balanced or logical reasoning. The traditional media has also been host to many personal and not professional attacks by both political parties (particularly because of the amount of political ads).
However, despite these negative attacks through these forms of media, I was always glad that when I would watch C-Span (which is pretty much all the time) that Members of Congress could always "respectfully disagree" with those in opposition. That these Members could provide facts, proof, or at least a logical basis for their dissent, but would not bring up blatant personal attacks (at least in front of the cameras and on the floor). While technically Sensenbrenner did not verbally display his disagreement, he showed how completely disrespectful he is to those who disagree with him by not even allowing them to finish their testimony.
My point being, when the "respectful" is taken away from the disagreement, the credibility of that media or institution is called into question. In the case of the House and Sensenbrenner, the credibility of information coming from Congress and the Committees is questioned. But because of its roots and foundations, MSM and the decorum of Congress will not be completely threatened. Like economic markets, they will tend to adjust and correct their own problems.
Blogging and the "new media" perhaps will have a more difficult time in this "recovery". Interestingly, if Kos and other "key" bloggers wish to keep their base of readers and wish to expand the general populace's interest in blogs (political or non), one would think they would wish to keep their blogs professional. At least to only "attack" people on the merits of their ideas, not on their character (when that is not the issue at hand).
Because of its infancy, the new media is not ready for "personal politics", such as Kos' entries on Darr; at least if the new media/blogs wish to be a credible source for arguments and ideas in the future. Because of the wide appeal of Kos to blog readers, his decision to attack character and not merits could have devastating consequences--leading many to abandon reading blogs altogether. Hopefully, this was an isolated case and he can go back following the traditional motherly advice of "play nice"....
Lately, it seems as if many people are no longer able to "respectfully disagree" with others. For Kos, the media has become an outlet to disagree by personal attacks, and not a way to disagree by presenting facts or a well-balanced or logical reasoning. The traditional media has also been host to many personal and not professional attacks by both political parties (particularly because of the amount of political ads).
However, despite these negative attacks through these forms of media, I was always glad that when I would watch C-Span (which is pretty much all the time) that Members of Congress could always "respectfully disagree" with those in opposition. That these Members could provide facts, proof, or at least a logical basis for their dissent, but would not bring up blatant personal attacks (at least in front of the cameras and on the floor). While technically Sensenbrenner did not verbally display his disagreement, he showed how completely disrespectful he is to those who disagree with him by not even allowing them to finish their testimony.
My point being, when the "respectful" is taken away from the disagreement, the credibility of that media or institution is called into question. In the case of the House and Sensenbrenner, the credibility of information coming from Congress and the Committees is questioned. But because of its roots and foundations, MSM and the decorum of Congress will not be completely threatened. Like economic markets, they will tend to adjust and correct their own problems.
Blogging and the "new media" perhaps will have a more difficult time in this "recovery". Interestingly, if Kos and other "key" bloggers wish to keep their base of readers and wish to expand the general populace's interest in blogs (political or non), one would think they would wish to keep their blogs professional. At least to only "attack" people on the merits of their ideas, not on their character (when that is not the issue at hand).
Because of its infancy, the new media is not ready for "personal politics", such as Kos' entries on Darr; at least if the new media/blogs wish to be a credible source for arguments and ideas in the future. Because of the wide appeal of Kos to blog readers, his decision to attack character and not merits could have devastating consequences--leading many to abandon reading blogs altogether. Hopefully, this was an isolated case and he can go back following the traditional motherly advice of "play nice"....
