Where’s the Instant Analysis?
Why haven’t there been more harsh, snarky snap judgments about the amply hyped, celebrity-stocked The Huffington Post? You’d think bloggers would be tearing apart this interloper into the blogosphere within hours. Has a sudden outbreak of politesse gripped the Internet? Professional courtesy run amok? You can’t get away with saying that it’s not fair to ...
Why haven't there been more harsh, snarky snap judgments about the amply hyped, celebrity-stocked The Huffington Post? You'd think bloggers would be tearing apart this interloper into the blogosphere within hours. Has a sudden outbreak of politesse gripped the Internet? Professional courtesy run amok? You can't get away with saying that it's not fair to judge a blog by it's first day. Absurdly consequential judgments based on a debut performance have become the rule in the film industry. And the Web (especially the blogosphere) is far better equipped to render such verdicts. That said, a few instant reactions: Warren Bell, National Review Online: "I made the mistake of checking out The Huffington Post without putting down a dropcloth. Does anyone know how to get all this sanctimonious ooze off my rug?" Nikki Finke, L.A. Weekly: "Her blog is such a bomb that it's the box-office equivalent of Gigli, Ishtar and Heaven's Gate rolled into one." James Joyner, Outside the Beltway: "a decidedly mixed bag" Howie Kurtz, Washington Post: "Larry David should have his own blog!": Jack Shafer, Slate: "None of the alleged bloggers at the Huff Post are really arguing with anybody or reacting to much of anything in the news in their first entries ? These entries read like the opening lines from ungiven speeches that dribble off into empty mutterings." Wait, I have it ... Maybe nobody really cares. ...
Why haven’t there been more harsh, snarky snap judgments about the amply hyped, celebrity-stocked The Huffington Post? You’d think bloggers would be tearing apart this interloper into the blogosphere within hours. Has a sudden outbreak of politesse gripped the Internet? Professional courtesy run amok? You can’t get away with saying that it’s not fair to judge a blog by it’s first day. Absurdly consequential judgments based on a debut performance have become the rule in the film industry. And the Web (especially the blogosphere) is far better equipped to render such verdicts. That said, a few instant reactions: Warren Bell, National Review Online: “I made the mistake of checking out The Huffington Post without putting down a dropcloth. Does anyone know how to get all this sanctimonious ooze off my rug?” Nikki Finke, L.A. Weekly: “Her blog is such a bomb that it’s the box-office equivalent of Gigli, Ishtar and Heaven’s Gate rolled into one.” James Joyner, Outside the Beltway: “a decidedly mixed bag” Howie Kurtz, Washington Post: “Larry David should have his own blog!”: Jack Shafer, Slate: “None of the alleged bloggers at the Huff Post are really arguing with anybody or reacting to much of anything in the news in their first entries ? These entries read like the opening lines from ungiven speeches that dribble off into empty mutterings.” Wait, I have it … Maybe nobody really cares. …
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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