Media Nation

I didn’t have a horse in the Ned Lamont-Joe Lieberman race, so what I’ve got to say doesn’t really have anything to do with those two particular politicians. But one thing that has struck me about the partisan outrage over Lieberman’s decision to run as an independent is how out of touch — or maybe scared — his enemies really are.

This post on the Daily Kos, headlined “Partisanship is a virtue,” is typical.

In fact, I think we all know that the public despises political parties and finds independent candidates refreshing (even if they rarely get elected). For Lieberman to be able to say he’s running not to serve any party but, rather, the people of Connecticut could prove to be quite effective.

Maybe it won’t work. Maybe Connecticut voters are too angry about Lieberman’s failure to distance himself sufficiently from President Bush. Maybe his overweening sense of moral superiority has finally caught up to him.

But to criticize him for running as an independent is to fail to understand why Americans hate politics.

Yesterday the Salem News published an enterprising story on Andrew Mandell, a.k.a. “Mr. Diabetes,” whose endless walk was taking him through the North Shore. The News’ Alan Burke reported that 74 percent of the money that Mandell raises for his Defeat Diabetes Foundation is spent on Mandell’s $90,000-plus compensation package and for further fundraising.

Margo Casey, an official with the North Shore United Way, called that percentage “extreme,” and told Burke: “That’s very, very high in terms of fundraising costs.”

Today the Globe runs a nice little feature on Mandell, with no mention of his fundraising practices.

Here is the zero-star Charity Navigator rating to which Burke refers. Mandell’s Web site says that he recently succeeded in getting the Massachusetts Senate to honor him. He’s also selling “Special Diabetes Commemorative Ornaments” with this come-on: “A large portion of the proceeds go directly to Defeat Diabetes Foundation.” Well, yes. But isn’t that the problem?

I’m with Peter Gelzinis, who writes in the Herald that he’d like to think he wouldn’t have fallen for the John Keaveney memo — but who knows?

Gelzinis’ column reacts to a Herald story that Keaveney, already suspected of having fabricated a memo about the safety of the Big Dig tunnels, may have lied about having served in the Irish military and having attended the University of Galway.

In retrospect, it’s easy to think the Globe never should have gone with the Keaveney story. And, as I’ve said before, the paper certainly should have given Big Dig contractor Modern Continental more time to respond to Keaveney’s blockbuster. That alone might have saved the Globe considerable embarrassment. But Gelzinis is honest enough to admit that it’s not quite so simple:

I am so glad, so very, very glad, that I never found a memo waiting in my Herald mail slot — a week after Milena Del Valle was crushed by a 3-ton ceiling tile.

A smoldering, smoking gun of a memo with blockbuster lines like:

“Should any innocent State Worker or member of the Public be seriously injured or even worse killed as a result, I feel that this would be something that would reflect Mentally and Emotionally upon me, and all who are trying to construct a quality project.”

Boy, oh boy!

All hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. Still, I’d like to think that if I’d opened the envelope and read a line like that, under a Modern Continental letterhead, my first reaction would be what it always is: “This is just too damn good to be true.”

Maybe Gelzinis would have paused. And maybe he wouldn’t have. I think a lot of honest journalists are wondering the same thing.

Meanwhile, the Globe reports that Keaveney’s decision to hire criminal-defense lawyer Robert Peabody is a sign that he, well, needs a criminal-defenese lawyer.

Bloglines continues to run well behind NetNewsWire Lite in refreshing its content. Which is too bad, because otherwise I like it better. Among other things, it feeds you more information about each blog and who’s written what.

Bill W. says I should upgrade to the paid version of NetNewsWire because it comes with a subscription to something called NewsGator. But will that really lead to RSS nirvana? As I said, I like the Bloglines interface better. If it weren’t for that, I think I’d be happy with NNW Lite.

One other thing: I’ve noticed that if I update a Media Nation item, Bloglines will reflect that, and NNW Lite won’t. Not so hot.

Former Globe and Herald columnist David Farrell, a legendary figure in local newspaper circles, has died at the age of 80. (Globe obit here; Herald obit here.)

Farrell epitomized the old-fashioned newspaperman as powerbroker. He surely would have been as well-known as fellow Globe staffers such as Marty Nolan, Robert Healy and the late David Nyhan if he had not left the paper more than two decades ago amid a scandal that seems quaint when measured by what has befallen the business in the intervening years.

Farrell’s son John, a filmmaker, author and local blogger of some note, has posted a nice tribute to his father.

The last I heard, the elder Farrell was writing a history/memoir of the Boston newspaper scene. I hope John Farrell can find a way to bring that project to completion. It’s bound to be a terrific read.

I found yesterday’s citizen journalism conference too amorphous to blog. But if you’re interested in what went on, you’ll find some good resources here, including blog posts, photos and notes typed in live by Doc Searls.

I wouldn’t want to try a day’s worth of real-time typing, as Searls did, so this isn’t a complaint — it’s a correction. If you take a look at this discussion of the legal war against bloggers, you’ll see that I supposedly said, “How much is unique to bloggers? And how much is part of the generalized crackdown on all media? Does being in the media have less protection than it did a week ago?”

In fact, I said, “Does being in the media have less protection than it did a generation ago?”

From Wonkette:

Washington City Paper editor Erik Wemple: his inflated self-importance, use of his paper to settle petty scores, and hilarious two-day-long editorship of the Village Voice (didn’t get along with Christgau or something) must now take a backseat to the hilarious antics of his dogshit-flinging wife.

Sadly, the item kind of goes downhill from there. And for all I know, this is grotesquely unfair to both Wemples. But what a lede!

Never is heard a discouraging word at Massachusetts GOP News. Last week, I made fun of this blogger or bloggers for suggesting that the state Republican Party might be better off if a Democrat were elected governor.

A few days ago, I ran across a response that reads in part:

Among the least provocative responses was from Dan Kennedy at Media Nation who called it a dumb idea and then seemingly proceeded to make the same argument. Another drunken Kennedy I assume.

So I posted a comment that, among other things, asked an innocent question: Is your libel insurance paid up, smartass?

The comment was #7. It’s gone. So is comment #8, which I never got a chance to see. (A defender, perhaps?)

Apparently Mass. GOP News has been taking lessons in how to win an argument from Gregg Jackson — who, by the way, recently took down his blog, although he still posts to Pundit Review.

Update: A response!

Certain comments have been deleted as I wished not to get into a puerile pissing contest with Dan Kennedy from Media Nation. It had nothing to do with his hissy fits; empty threats of libel suits or his name calling.

Assuming my retort will get deleted again, here’s what I just posted:

Well, now. I’m probably “another drunken Kennedy,” but when I try to talk back, I’m engaging in “name calling.” Very interesting. And yes, my threat of a libel suit was completely empty, but what the heck. BTW … care to share what was in Comment #8?

Update II: Deleted again! And, oh yes, I learned from another commenter that #5 has been deleted, too. What was that one about? Wow. Talk about not being able to take it.

As of this moment, Bloglines hasn’t pulled in anything today from Romenesko. On the other hand, NetNewsWire Lite seems to be right up to the minute.

I’ll be at a citizen journalism conference at Harvard today, sponsored by the Center for Citizen Media.