Page 67 - Battleground The Media Volume 1 and 2

| Blogosphere: Pol t cs and Internet Journal sm

creation of political parties. At that time, journalism, as the distinct profession
known today, did not exist; certainly, there were no guidelines for ethical behav-
ior on the part of the press. So, the articles that appeared ranged from scurrilous
attacks all the way to the most considered reflection—and sometimes by the
same author.
The political press of that early era died out as newspapers became commer-
cial products that needed to distance themselves from politics in order to assure
the widest possible circulation, and as journalists began to see theirs as a spe-
cial mission framed by the First Amendment’s “freedom of the press” guarantee,
something that had earlier been considered only as a protection of open political
expression, but that had evolved into a right for the new and distinct “fourth
estate.”
The desire to be directly involved in the debates in the press, however, did not
disappear even as it became increasingly difficult for individuals to find voice

“Frequently asked questions” at daily kos

Who posts here?
The quick answer is “anyone who wants to.” There are a wide variety of people writ-
ing diaries and comments on dkos. They include elected politicians, candidates hoping to
become elected politicians, experts in a range of fields, and active bloggers from around
the net. The vast majority of writers, however, are ordinary citizens interested in talking
about and participating in the political process. The majority of people posting here fall
on the liberal side of the US political spectrum, however people of conservative views are
welcome to come and debate. If you are polite, you will be treated politely. Unfortunately,
there are some people who post comments or diaries with the sole purpose of provoking
others. These people are called trolls. Some tips and techniques for dealing with trolls are
described below. . . .
Diaries
Most of the action takes place inside of diaries. These are written by users, and then
read and commented on by other users. . . . Most diaries appear in the Recent Diary list
on the right-hand side of the screen. By default, this shows the last 20 diaries that have been
posted; this can be reset as high as 50 diaries using the field at the bottom of the list. People
reading diaries can recommend them (see below). If a diary receives enough recommenda-
tions, it will automatically be promoted to the Recommended Diary list, which sits above the
Recent Diary list. Recommended diaries tend to attract a wider audience and more com-
ments than most diaries. The length of time that a diary spends on the Recommended list
depends on how many users recommend it; it can vary from a few minutes to more than one
full day. Diaries moving to the Recommended list is a democratic process; the diaries on the
list are the ones that received the most “votes” to be there.

From Daily Kos, http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/DailyKos_FAQ, one of the premier political group
blogs.