Are Bloggers Filling The Hole?

I finally listened to R.G. Ratcliffe’s podcast on whether or not bloggers are journalists.

I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve received from surprising places asking me if I had heard it and what my thoughts were. To be honest, Capitol Annex waited to so long to listen because Mr. Ratcliffe didn’t bother to interview us. After all, he was discussing the Truitt bill (among other things) and we *were* one of the leaders of that debate, so we staged ourselves a little boycott, which didn’t last long. (Nuttin’ but love for ya, R.G., but you need to your readership Texas political bloggers significantly!).

Every blogger who was interviewed, though, did a wonderful job.

And, the phrase “rhetorical cul-de-sac,” used in the podcast by Charles Kuffner is now a permanent part of my vocabulary (I’ve already used it nine times this morning, including to ask the lady handing me my tacos at Dairy Queen if her question “do you want taco sauce” wasn’t a “rhetorical cul-de-sac?” She advised me that Dairy Queen doesn’t serve “rhetorical cul-de-sac” and that I should try Jack-In-The-Box)

Anyway, State Rep. Scott Hochberg (D-Houston) was put on the hot-seat by Ratcliffe and was asked several questions about whether bloggers deserved media credentials. Since I was trying to read the general appropriations bill while eating tacos (and on a Sunday morning, too! Top that, MainStreamMedia!) I didn’t document all of his responses. But, I found very interesting his conversation about how the Capitol Press Corps has dwindled so significantly. He also noted that bloggers weren’t necessarily “filling that hole” left by the absence of a larger capitol press corps.

He raises an excellent point. I think that we are doing our best to fill that hole. I think press credentials would help us fill that hole. As Eileen Smith of ITPT noted in the podcast, it would bring about more “responsible” reporting. For me, that means easy and more instantaious access to the sources and action we need to cover the Lege.

As one of the bloggers who doesn’t go down to the capitol on a regular basis to blog (partially because I don’t live in Austin), I can tell you I would if we were credentialed. I’d probably, during session, go down at least two or three days a week (regular work schedule permitting, which it most likely would) and do the “whole nine yards,” meaning, photos, podcasts, and v-casts. More in-depth interviews, more source documents, and more play-by-play would be part of that.

Right now, the MSM doesn’t do a good job with play-by-play.  What do I mean? Well, during the Speaker’s race, there was play-by-play type coverage of amendments going up or down and what that meant. But, when major legislation is on the floor, that’s a constant consideration. Nearly every amendment is very important, and many are never mentioned. The MSM tells us that yes, sausage was finally made in the Lege, but it doesn’t tell us how that sausage got made. And, that’s important.

It’s those votes and those statements (in questions on amendments, etc.) that often end up in the footnotes of political mailers. But, the MSM by and large ignores everything except the major legislation votes.

Why? Rep. Hochberg hinted on why, but in another context: it is because there aren’t enough reporters covering the capitol. In a world where hard news budgets are slashed in favor of “infotainment” type coverage both in newspapers and on TV (how many hours of hard news are lost a year because TV stations do stupid segments like “Does it Work?!?) And, because the general population has become so used to “dumbed down” news coverage (no offense to the reporters, by the way, because it is the corporations dumbing things down in the assignments they make) a story about whether Rep. Trey Martinez Fisher or Rep. Warren Chisum or whomever voted “yes” or “No” on the amendment to amendment 45 to House Bill 9999 is dull and boring to them.

But, there is a market of people out there who want to know, and they want the play-by-play. But, that market isn’t going to sit around waiting for the House Journal to come out; they want to know now. And, we ought to be able to deliver that to them.