Honesty, anyone?

Rich Miller:

What is it about the Internet that makes some political pundits, columnists and reporters so goofy? It seems like almost every time I read a mainstream media story about political Web sites and bloggers, the pieces are full of ill-informed junk.

Well, I'd say it's all about markets. These people have made their livings competing in a market composed of others like themselves. The internet, however, is a much broader, more diverse market of ordinary people with the curiosity and intelligence to use the internet. It's a threat, therefore, to their livelihoods, and it doesn't take its cues from them, necessarily. It's impertinent, and asks difficult and embarrassing questions, and points out issues that they aren't even aware of, such as how to spot when a claimed 1972 memo must have been produced using Microsoft Word.