There’s a new controversy involving a blog and the controversy over the blog and those who’ve written about the controversy about the blog. Here are the links (and you can give your view in comments).
Michelle Malkin wrote this.
John Amato responded here.
Ezra Klein commented and so did MSNBC‘s Keith Olbermann.
But then Ed Morrissey and Flopping Aces (WARNING: adult language) chimed in — responding to those criticizing Michelle Malkin.
The crux of the issue: is running a press release that has names and contact info the same as just running the names and contact information of people? Or is it different? (Your thoughts?)
PS: Many other blogs are following and commenting on this so as you visit each site linked above if they have trackbacks just follow their trackbacks if you want to read more of the debate.
UPDATE: Michelle Malkin responds to those responding to her. This is a MUST READ for one point that needs to be addressed here:
Don’t people realize that when they’re trying to make a point in debate, even angry political debate, they sandbag their OWN case when they indulge in unabashedly sexist and racist name-calling? Those critics of Malkin who indulge in that kind of language need to look in the mirror if they’re looking for places to start a higher standard of political debate. Most of Malkin’s critics do NOT fall into that category and are NOT stuck in junior high school…but some are — and those folks need to go back to go back there and spend a day or two in the Principal’s office. With no dessert.
The issue of whether it was proper to run the names and numbers on a press release is one thing and a valid topic of heated debate. The issue of whether political disagreement gives license to verbally abuse someone is another.
One involves political and journalistic ideas and values. The other involves name-calling people displaying their own attitudinal “issues” related to women and Asians. PERIOD.
UPDATE II: And there are nuts on the other side, too.
CLICK HERE and read the — no kidding — death threats the students have received since their contact info was published.
SOME TINY THOUGHTS:
(1) As you can see some people on BOTH SIDES of this issue are stuck in junior high school.
(2) Shouldn’t people who write weblogs realize that there are mentally unstable people out there…and not all of them are “trolls” who write in comments? Wouldn’t a wee bit of caution be a wise thing?
(3) Will a blog on the right or left one day run some information that gets someone murdered? It wouldn’t be surprising if that happens.
UPDATE III: John Amato responds to the latest furor about the furor.
UPDATE IV: Conservative blogger Don Surber makes a decision.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.