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July 23, 2004

Blogging on CNN

I just learned that CNN and Technorati will be working together to analyze the "political blogosphere" during the Democratic covention in Boston. David Sifry, one of the founders of Tecnorati, will be providing regular commentary on CNN. I'll be interested to see how this commentary is framed. This news is a few days old, but I've been distratced lately (my film students just took their final, and I'm still working through the "Time" issue of Screen). More information on the "bloggers at the convention" story:

Update: The Wired article, by Adam Pennenberg, is quite good. He notes, for example, that less than 1% of the media members in attendance will be bloggers and addresses many of the reasons that mainstream journalists might be threatened by and/or fascinated by the presence of bloggers at the convention.

Now fully awake and caffienated: I think that part of what is missing in the story, however, is the fascination with power that comes across in the spectacle of political conventions, and that fascination will be part of the story when political bloggers find themselves on the convention floor. This is not to suggest that political bloggers will be unable or unwilling to criticize the political spectacle, but instead I think there's something intriguing about a person who attempts to negotiate their relationship to these images. In fact, I think that blogging the covention may hold a fascination similar to political documentaries such as Robert Downey, Jr's The Last Party and Alexandra Pelosi's Journeys with George (my review). While Pelosi and Downey are closer to the mainstream media thn most of the bloggers, their narratives tend to downplay that connection, focusing instead on their personal attempts to navigate the American political scene. We connect to the filmmakers on a personal level, seeing the world through their eyes. This is what I think political bloggers may be able to offer their audience. I'm looking forward to following their stories.

Posted by chuck at July 23, 2004 12:28 PM

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