ABC's

March 11, 2003 7:00 AM

ABC's blog "The Note" suspends operations, citing lack of resources needed for war coverage, the blog's humorous style not being "the right national tonic," and this shocker: "We suspect that the amount of strictly political news — the kind of stuff that is the meat and starch of The Note — is likely to dramatically decrease in the coming days." GUH? Aren't blogs now more important than ever? Aren't politics now more important than ever? What message is being sent by the mainstream media here? (Via the indispensable Lloyd Grove of the Washington Post.)
posted by PrinceValium (10 comments total)

ABC dropped The Note for the unforgivable sin of publishing information contrary to what Ari said. I personally will miss The Note for the plethora of "insider" viewpoints and tips regarding politics in DC.
posted by nofundy at 7:19 AM on March 11, 2003

Aren't blogs now more important than ever?
no.
we now return you to our regularly scheduled navel-gazing.
posted by quonsar at 7:23 AM on March 11, 2003

nofundy, any sources for that?
I'm not being snarky, just curious as to what may be going on.
posted by PrinceValium at 7:23 AM on March 11, 2003

For once I agree 100% with quonsar.
posted by jammer at 7:25 AM on March 11, 2003

There are too many blogs, and most of them are completely and utterly boring.

The same thing about politics. Next!
posted by angry modem at 7:31 AM on March 11, 2003

It sounds like The Note is giving itself over to the same impulse that fed the media's willingness to characterize Bush's overly scripted speech last week as a "press conference." From the time Bush took office, he's had a stranglehold on information, and the media today are acting grateful for any crumbs that might fall their way, to the point that they'll buy into it rather than criticize it.
posted by troybob at 8:03 AM on March 11, 2003

PrinceValium,

I do not currently have a pointer for you and don't have the time to look it up yet. IIRC, it was on mediawhores or buzzflash or altercation, just don't remember right now. Sorry. Maybe more later.
posted by nofundy at 8:14 AM on March 11, 2003

It sounds like The Note is giving itself over to the same impulse that fed the media's willingness to characterize Bush's overly scripted speech last week as a "press conference." From the time Bush took office, he's had a stranglehold on information, and the media today are acting grateful for any crumbs that might fall their way, to the point that they'll buy into it rather than criticize it.

it's like the collective news organizations are a single person, and that person was mugged, robbed, and now it doesn't want to go outside anymore. the quality, the level of public discourse in the country have collapsed.
posted by donkeyschlong at 8:45 AM on March 11, 2003

Geez, I can't wait to see what the tinfoil hat brigade says when something really bad happens! (Oh, wait, I already know, it'll be a savage indictment of capitalism and all the usual running dog lackeys who serve its dark designs.) News is a business, and businesses prosper by giving customers what they will pay for. Anyone who ascribes any higher motives to the news business is just not paying attention. The very idea of a blog being run by a huge corporation strikes me as a contradiction in terms. The only entertainment value I can envision coming out of such a misbegotten enterprise is watching how close the reporters writing the blog can dance to the edge before they fall off. Apparently this has happened. Or has it? Do you grassy knoll-ers think that when they say that the suspension is indefinite that they are lying, or at the very least being lied to by management about their future? IF "The Note" returns, will it be a broken, lobotomized shadow of its former self? Will nofundy ever back up his/her/its statement? Stay tuned!!!
posted by BGM at 10:02 AM on March 11, 2003

Umm, if you actually went to The Note and read it, you'd see this (emphasis added):

With the nation (and our network) preparing for the possibility of military action, we've suspended publication of The Note.

This is NOT indefinite. It's very short term. And as news dictates, and events warrant, war or no war, we will publish again, and soon.

Methinks you're getting a bit too excited about this.
posted by pmurray63 at 1:13 PM on March 11, 2003