A Foolish Consistency

Scarily prolific Ann Althouse wrote a post titled Bloggers who take money from politicians, based on a linked New York Times article. She also linked to an accompanying chart “showing who got money, how much they got, and the embarrassing ass-kissing quotes they dished up.” When politicians buy favorable coverage from a newspaper or on television it’s called an ad and labeled as such. When they buy it from a blogger who doesn’t disclose the payment (and who the pol hires after the election) it hides under the umbrella of blog triumphalism which sees political blogs as the wooden stake to the heart of mainstream media. I do not doubt that this article and chart touch the tip of the iceberg, and that such undisclosed conflicts of interest will grow as we run up to the 2008 election.