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Mighty Milblogs Or Bush's Lapblogs?

President Bush played host to a select group of administration-friendly bloggers in the White House last week -- the first such meeting of its kind -- and the scene played out much as I would have expected.

Columbia Journalism Review reports that the bloggers, most of them milbloggers chosen because of their pro-war coverage of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, reveled in the attention showered upon them by the leader of the free world and gushed about their president.

Here are excerpts from the blog posts cited by CJR:

-- Argghhh!: "The staff knew our blogs, and they knew that while some of us have not always been fans or happy with things as they are, they knew we were not going to storm the Bastille, either."

-- Blackfive: "Yes, it was surreal sitting in a meeting with the president and then having him ask us what we thought of the Oval Office. But it was very cool. The president of the United States slapped my hand and called me 'brutha.' Top that."

-- Defense Tech: "as he opened the big door to the Oval Office, and I was reminded of when Dorothy entered Oz. The colors, the lighting, the history (good and bad) . . . it was a rush. The president gave me one of his signature 'it's good to be king' expressions and quipped, 'Pretty nice, huh?' 'Yessir, Mr. President. Pretty nice.'"

-- The Tank: "It is surreal to me that an Illinois farm kid finds himself ... seated in the Roosevelt Room with the president of the United States discussing the direction, progress and challenges as we see them in a conflict that history will reflect defines this generation."

-- The Victory Caucus: "[A]nyone who sat through an hour with this man as I did and came away unconvinced that he sincerely believes in the message of freedom and the necessity of this fight would have to be crazy. He exudes sincerity and passion when he speaks of the this mission."

It all sounds so familiar. Why? Because this is exactly what happens almost every time a high-profile politician pays homage to the power of the blogosphere -- or at least the part that dutifully pays homage to him or her, too.

It has been happening since the early days of blog outreach.

It happened when Republicans courted friendly bloggers during the confirmation hearings of now-Supreme Court Chief Justice Samuel Alito. It happened when former President Clinton hosted the blog lunch that backfired. It happens with both Republican and Democratic bloggers who go to work for campaigns.

And now it has happened in Bush's White House.

That's not to say Bush's meeting with bloggers lacked serious questions or even that all of the bloggers focused on the show rather the substance. CJR noted that both INDCJournal and The Long Journal offered meaty reports. (Neither of those writers was actually at the White House; they joined by conference call.)

But sadly, a pattern has developed over the past couple of years: Bloggers fight the establishment; the establishment resists and even ridicules said bloggers before realizing their power; the establishment then woos bloggers to try to capitalize on their power; and bloggers lose their edge (at least momentarily) because they become enamored by the trappings of power.

Am I saying that bloggers shouldn't be excited about a journey inside the White House? Not at all. Only the most jaded journalists reach that point -- and thankfully I'm not there yet.

Bloggers also should recount those special, personal experiences online. It's better to be transparent with readers about such courtships than to keep them off the record (like too many journalists) and raise suspicions about their motives for writing.

But our new media world desperately needs to mature to the point where bloggers stop writing fluff every time someone important offers them treats. Otherwise, readers can't be blamed for wondering whether they are nothing more than lapblogs.

P.S. to all of you Washington power brokers: Why don't you get a backbone and invite a skeptical blogger or two the next time you decide to throw one of these shindigs?

And bloggers, if they don't come around to that way of thinking soon, stop accepting the invitations -- or start playing devil's advocate yourself. The blogosphere will be the better for it.

Posted by Danny | 10:18 PM

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