Quote Of The Day

Ta-Nehisi Coates on lazy pundits not taking the time to research before spewing memes,

And then there are pundits who write more than they read, and talk more than they listen, and prefer an easy creationism to a google search.

The context here is comments by Juan Williams about the lack of marches protesting black on black violence on Fox  Sunday Morning. Coates lists half a dozen such marches and rallies from the past year.

Quote Of The Day

In a sweeping analysis of Andrew Breitbart's methods and impact on the media, Conor Friedersdorf absolutely nails the neurotic obsessiveness the loudest voices on the right display when talking about the media.

There is some liberal bias. It's fine to call it out -- but absurd to treat it as the very core of your worldview, the explanation for every ideological setback you suffer, or the main factor preventing a better society.

If you are interested in the way the media landscape has changed and the impact of operators like Breitbart, the entire essay is a must read. It's as honest it gets, rightly crediting  the man for creating platforms that allow greater consumption of the news, rightly blaming him for using that platform to damage, not further journalism and ultimately, acts as a warning on the temptation to sate on satisfying short term tactical victories while ignoring the larger game being played.

Somebody Misses His Wooten

Valentine's must be in the air, for Republican Randy Evans has penned quite the love letter to former AJC scribe Jim Wooten.

But he did not stop there. When writing columns, he researched and verified every word to make sure that every column was thorough, accurate, and complete. He understood that just one mistake, one error, and thousands of readers would call him on it.

Really.

I've read Jim Wooten for over twenty years and deigned to be his informal, snarky ombudsman for the last four years of his tenure. What Mr. Evans writes was once true, as documented in my own conflicted thoughts about Jim's gradual transformation from thoughtful conservative in the Durwood McAllister vein to just another link in the WSB media conveyor belt churning out endless half truth panderisms, but it was laid waste in the final years as he gradually viewed his quest as not one for the truth but one that  matched his narrowing world view.

My own biased viewpoint? Absolutely. But feel free to graze on the years where I played Deacon Lunchbox to Wooten's Lewis Grizzard. It's all there for anyone to see.