Blogs are feeling the convention love

A while back I was ambivalent about bloggers covering the conventions. As the Dems converge in Boston, however, I must confess to a surprising giddiness about the role that blogs and bloggers have earned for this election season [You’re just happy because this provides more fodder for your blog paper–ed. Hey, I’m rarely on top of a trend. Let me savor this!] Consider the following:

1) MSNBC’s Hardball has set up their own weblog called HardBlogger. So far the posts have been mixed. In Andrea Mitchell’s first post, she recounts her experiences at past conventions, concluding with, “the biggest ‘get’ of my last Democratic convention. Not former presidents, governors or senators, but Sarah Jessica Parker, on the convention floor.” Now that’s hard-hitting journalism! On the other hand, this David Shuster post does contain some good inside info on what speakers see when they’re at the podium. 2) Not to be outdone, CNN has teamed with Technorati to provide “real-time analysis of the political blogosphere,” as David Sifry phrases it. Here’s a link to CNN’s press release. 3) MTV has also decided to co-opt the bloggers by hiring Ana Marie Cox — a.k.a., Wonkette — to cover the convention. MTV says “her ‘unabashed style and irreverence’ will galvanize young voters,” according to the Washington Post‘s Reliable Sources. Cox posts her own thoughts on the matter here. Me, I’ll have to tune in just to see whether Ana Marie can get through four days without saying “a**-f***ing” on basic cable. 4) Finally there are the credentialed convention bloggers themselves. Dave Winer has set up a special site for the DNC Convention Bloggers. The Los Angeles Times has a story on the bloggers who thought they got credentials but then had them yanked (link via Glenn Reynolds). Kevin Drum astutely observes about the article, “I think it’s a milestone: a story related to blogging that’s not about the phenomenon of blogging itself and that just assumes you know what a blog is.” The Democratic National Committee has set up their own blog called Boston Party. Even the old-school Associated Press has brought out legendary reporter Walter Mears to help blog the convention (link via Eric Schnure)

I’ll close with Patrick Belton’s proclamation at OxBlog:

The 2004 conventions will be remembered as the conventions of the blog; just like the 1952 Republican convention was the convention of the television, and the 1924 conventions were the conventions of the radio. Each symbolised the rise of a new technology to mediate between the political space of the public square and the personal, domestic space in people’s living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchen counters.

That’s probably a bit too triumphalist for me — but then again, with the nets embracing the blogosphere for its form and content, even I’m feeling a bit triumphalist today. [I notice you’re not going to be Mr. Media Whore for the upcoming week. What does this mixture of political conventions and blogging mean for you?–ed. It is because of what the Lord did for ME when I came out of Egypt oh, sorry, wrong answer. First, notice that I’m getting quite the ad clientele — MSNBC is just the latest. Second, I’ll be making my own small contribution to The New Republic‘s convention coverage next week.] UPDATE: Howard Kurtz has a round-up of convention bloggers in his Media Notes Extra column. And John McCormack talks about blogs forming a “para-media” in the Chicago Tribune. Kurtz reports this Oscar-the-Grouch quote:

University of Missouri journalism professor Tom McPhail told USA Today that bloggers “are certainly not committed to being objective. They thrive on rumor and innuendo” and “should be put in a different category, like ‘pretend’ journalists.”

Blogs are not objective? Someone alert Daniel Okrent, stat!! And some convention blogger better score an interview with Sarah Jessica Parker — it’s the only way blogs will be taken seriously by the mediasphere!