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Dead Pelican, Live Blog, Bad News

I have chided Republicans in the past for their misguided attacks on bloggers in press releases, commercials and the like, but Democrats aren't immune to the temptation.

One example (subscription required) is cited in this week's hot-off-the-presses issue of National Journal magazine. This particular episode involves a quasi-blog called The Dead Pelican that is modeled more after The Drudge Report than standard blogs, but it's still about a politician attacking an upstart, online news source.

Here's the story, as recounted by Kellie Lunney:

The Dead Pelican, an "underground" Louisiana news site and blog that leans right, reported in June that sources told it that Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., who received campaign contributions from New Yorkers, put in an earmark request for a New York-based company. Landrieu, who says that the request was for a program benefiting Louisiana, attacked the blog through a press release, and the story eventually made the local television news.

The lesson to be learned: Attack a blogger and all you're likely to do, other than irritating said blogger and rallying his friends for a blog swarm, is to keep a negative story alive another day.

The story also includes an interesting quote from John Randall, the e-press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Randall "doesn't feel beholden to bloggers as he once did to the almighty traditional media. 'If they burn me, I don't have to go back,'" he said.

Posted by Danny | 10:57 AM

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