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| CNN Host Calls for Crackdown on 'Bloggers' in Wake of Sherrod Incident: |
| 2010-07-23 |
| Should there be a "gatekeeper" regulating internet bloggers? In the aftermath of the Shirley Sherrod incident, that's what CNN promoted on July 23. Anchors Kyra Phillips and John Roberts discussed the "mixed blessing of the internet," and agreed that there should be a crackdown on anonymous bloggers who disparage others on the internet. "There are so many great things that the internet does and has to offer, but at the same time, Kyra, as you know, there is this dark side," Roberts said. "Imagine what would have happened if we hadn't taken a look at what happened with Shirley Sherrod and plumbed the depths further and found out that what had been posted on the internet was not in fact reflective of what she said." Story Continues Below Ad ↓ But Phillips replied that the mainstream media "can't always do that." "There's going to have be a point in time where these people have to be held accountable," Phillips said. "How about all these bloggers that blog anonymously? They say rotten things about people and they're actually given credibility, which is crazy. They're a bunch of cowards, they're just people seeking attention." Phillips demanded to know what Andrew Keen thought needed to be done. Keen, author of "The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing Our Culture," who suggested that there needs to be an internet "gatekeeper," had been interviewed by Roberts and quoted in the segment. "Well what Andrew talked about with me was this idea of a gatekeeper but there are huge first amendment rights that come into play here - freedom of speech and all that. And he said the people who need to be the gatekeepers are the media to check into these stories," said Roberts. Phillips wanted to go even further, asking if "there's going to come a point where something's going to have to be done legally" about anonymous bloggers. "There has to be some point where there's some accountability. And companies, especially in the media have to stop giving these anonymous bloggers credit," she said. Roberts responded that anonymous blogging might benefit from "checks and balances." "If you're in a place like Iran or North Korea or something like that, anonymous blogging is the only way you could ever get your point of view out without being searched down and thrown in jail or worse," said Roberts. "But when it comes to a society like ours, an open society, do there have to be some checks and balances, not national, but maybe website to website on who comments on things?" CNN's two regulation-happy reporters, think the Sherrod situation can help bring attention to the "necessity" of blogging reform if she brings a defamation lawsuit against Andrew Breitbart. According to Roberts, Sherrod has "the power now and she also has the profile to maybe bring this into a new light, so we'll see where this goes." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #7 Maybe it makes more sense when you consider that 90% of folks out there are not aware of this. Shame on CNN. Again. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-07-23 22:31 |
| #6 Blogger posts video and commentary stating that the audience reaction is the point. The NAACP laughed that a white guy was denied help because of his color. The lady in the video is fired because everyone felt her comments (out of context) were terribly racists and failed to even read the blogger's commentary. So somehow that is the blogger's fault? It boggles the mind. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-07-23 22:02 |
| #5 They need to ask themselves why people trust anonymous bloggers more than they trust the MSM. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2010-07-23 20:56 |
| #4 "If you're in a place like Iran or North Korea or something like that, anonymous blogging is the only way you could ever get your point of view out without being searched down and thrown in jail or worse," said Roberts. "But when it comes to a society like ours, an open society, do there have to be some checks and balances, not national, but maybe website to website on who comments on things?" So here you'd only be dragged through the civil courts and sued until you haven't a cent to your name, you'd die owing Shirley Sherrod $50 Million. Yeah, big difference. Gatekeeper my ass. |
| Posted by: bigjim-CA 2010-07-23 20:46 |
| #3 So I guess the same rules oughta apply for those "anonymous sources" you guys depend upon so much for stories, right? Right? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2010-07-23 20:42 |
| #2 Maybe it was the bloggers' attention that got people to dig in and figure out what really happened . . . . |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-07-23 20:14 |
| #1 Blame the bloggers. Right. Looks like CNN doesn't understand their own business. Or maybe they do, but prefer not to be responsible. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-07-23 20:13 |