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February 15, 2005

WSJ Editorialist Joins Dinosaur Herd on March to Tar Pits

When it comes time to circle the wagons, the leftists who make up most of the establishment media are sometimes joined by less numerous but equally pretentious brethren on the other side of the aisle. Take for example the obnoxiously condescending editorial "The Jordan Kerfuffle" in yesterday's Wall Street Journal.

The affected and dismissive title lets you know what you're in for. After beating on its puffed-out chest and boasting that it broke the Easongate kerfuffle, the WSJ proceeds to denigrate what it calls "the right wing of the so-called 'blogosphere'" for following up on such an unnewsworthy item. After all, a top-level American news executive telling an international audience that the US military deliberately kills journalists "may have been dumb but it wasn't a journalistic felony" according to the Journal's standards, which it seems I've overestimated.

The anonymous editorial was actually written by Bret Stephens. A little background on Stephens can be found here. Using an anonymous editorial to defend his own work, as Stephens does here, is an ethical lapse taken issue with by Dinocrat and Captain's Quarters.

Parallels with Bill O'Reilly's misguided defense of Dan Rather belie the editorial's assertion that Easongate is nothing like Rathergate. The piece doesn't touch on the fact that this is not the first time that Jordan's combination of verbal diarrhea and paranoid anti-Americanism has emerged into public view. Perhaps if Stephens were willing to lower himself to a little more slumming in the so-called "blogosphere" (or if he read his mail), he might have learned something along these lines here.

Stephens' ponderous voice takes on a slight tremble of fear as he whines:

It does not speak well of CNN that it apparently allowed itself to be stampeded by this Internet and talk-show crew. Of course the network must be responsive to its audience and ratings. But it has other obligations, too, chief among them to show the good judgment and sense of proportion that distinguishes professional journalism from the enthusiasms and vendettas of amateurs.

Don't worry Stephens, the so-called "blogosphere" won't come after you — unless you deserve it.

Now here's the part he got right:

No doubt this point of view will get us described as part of the "mainstream media."

However, the WSJ will "take that as a compliment." Finally, the haughty conclusion:

We hope readers buy our newspaper because we make grown-up decisions about what is newsworthy, and what isn't.

This amateur member of the so-called "blogosphere" has reached the grown-up decision that Bret Stephens is a flatulent dinosaur, jutting out his chin with idiot majesty as he lumbers in step with Jordan, Rather and the rest toward well-deserved oblivion.

Posted by Van Helsing at February 15, 2005 10:33 AM

Comments

Posted by: The MaryHunter at February 15, 2005 11:47 AM