Well, first there’s this. Both bloggers from Edwards’ campaign have resigned. It’s unfortunate, and also an excellent example of how effective attack campaigns can be. I wonder what repercussions this will have going forward. How will the other candidates manage their online presence? Will they avoid blogs, like Romney? Or will they be used as a conduit for carefully constructed political messages?
Where does the line between private and public exist online? Will everything you post on the net be held against you indefinitely? Will Google blog searches become a standard part of hiring practices?
Second, the Libby trial moved forward today and it appears that Libby and Cheney will not be testifying. Apparently, according to today’s New York Times, this annoyed Judge Walton, calling into question the argument that Libby had much bigger things to worry about than the insignificant issue of the CIA agent’s identity. Which is true, there was a war to spin, after all. Judge Watson had been under the impression that they would hear first-hand from Libby about his heavy workload, rather than receive this information from other witnesses.
Finally, tonight’s Frontline, ”News War,” begins a four-part series on the relationship between the media and the Bush Administration. It sounds promising based on today’s review in the Times. The program examines the effect of 24/7 news channels, the Internet, and big media conglomerates on the media, our consumption of it, and its relationship with the lawmakers. This first episode highlights the Plame case, which is timely. But, as reviewer David Friend noted, it would have been interesting if the producers had waited, and we could see the big name talking heads (Ted Koppel) reflect on the trial’s outcome and the close relationships between journalists and their administration sources.
