…Anybody feel like emailing ol’ Mark Follman and letting him know the joke’s on him…? Or do you think it’ll be more fun letting him figure it out on his own…?
update: Democratic strategist Ellis Henican emails, “Christ. And here I was thinking we couldn’t look any more confused and humorless.”
update 2: Follman responds—though he doesn’t fare much better this time, I’m afraid.
update 3: Captain Ed spends more time on this guy than I would, but I’m glad he did.
Incidentally, protein wisdom seems to be the only blog not on the Captain’s Quarters blogroll. Which I’ll try not to take that as a pointed criticism.
I had to sit through an annoying ad in which Salon bragged about smearing the SwiftVets (and also re-affirmed my decision not to subscribe), but it was worth it.
I think you should next blog about the excitement that you caused when streaking behind the First Lady during her prime-time speech.
Jeez! I beginning to believe you really are there! I think that dolphin in the pea coat really threw me off. Those damn neo-con dolphins do it to you every time!
I couldn’t sit through the ad, as I have a nervous disposition. Besides, I think Eric Boehlert makes things up (which isn’t very nice)!
Is the joke that you fabricated the wsj article? What? I wouldn’t click on Salon’s site if the truth of the ages were being revealed. Pls someone fill me in here.
Notice how he slanted your post to make it appear that you weren’t delivering hard-hitting news? Next thing you know, he’ll claim you weren’t even there. And he calls himself a journalist.
I wonder why he chose my Angie Harmon post? I mean, how many times does a guy talk Al Franken and Rich Lowry into a contest of urinary distance and accuracy?
Crikey. It seems like every day now we get an example of “respectable” Big Media types being simultanouesly arrogant and smug and clueless and out-of-touch.
I imagine that Mr. Follman is a proud graduate of the Alex Beam school of journalism.
I wonder how such a “smart” guy could miss the fact that a certain blogger (who shall remain nameless) was never even mentioned in the WSJ piece.
For those of you relatively new to blogs, a better history on the Alex Beam episode, which deserves to be long remembered and widely known, can be found here.
Stormy!!
This is funnier.
http://kerrywaffles.net/vcdog
Shoot, you know you guys are right. I completely overlooked Goldstein’s “hard-hitting” news on Michael Moore’s eating “an entire Bull Elk” and calling for a “big bottle of Lipitor” (hmm, is that mud on Moore’s face in that “AP” photo?” I didn’t catch that on the AP wires… ) … or Goldstein’s drinking “several bottles of bourbon last night” … or the breaking news about his red bow tie that he flaunted at Tucker Carlson … or how he apparently witnessed Moore scarfing down Slim Jims and imagining himself “thigh deep in a pool of chocolate pudding.”
Please tell “ss” that I’m sorry for “slanting” your postings on Salon—I guess I just missed the real stuff.
Wait. Was he being sarcastic or was I? Huh? Who now? He didn’t actually apologize . . . right?
(the real point is, none of the rest of your illustrious colleagues inside MSG seem to be joking)
I think the problem, Mark, is that you missed the fact that I’m not at the convention, and that my entire “coverage” of said convention is itself a parody of / satire on convention coverage.
And so citing one of my posts in your sneering article proves that you’re really quite confused.
I make no pretense about doing “hard-hitting” news coverage of the GOP convention, being 2000 miles away at a kitchen table in Colorado. I’d expect someone who pretends to be a “real journalist” might be able to figure that out from the context (if not from the actual content).
No, actually the “real point” is that in your haste to lump all conservative bloggers together, you didn’t do your research and now you look like an idiot.
Congrats.
perhaps that’s the point. Or maybe the point was that one of the several “serious” bloggers inside MSG linked to you, by all appearances in earnest, and, well, it turned out that your (wink, wink) post wasn’t much different from what the rest of them seem to be doing with a good deal of their exclusively credentialed time there.
Sometimes the best way to be in on a joke is to play along.
best, -Mark
…None of which has to do with me or my post.
I could just as easily point out that your (wink wink) article doesn’t look much different from a legitimate piece of journalism, but of course the fact that you used my post as an exemplar for your thesis—with complete disregard for the context of my post, and without bothering to check with me before attempting to belittle it—belies that proposition.
Or maybe not, I don’t know. I’m not a journalist. So I’m not required to do anything “hard hitting” like pick on a group of bloggers who are taking their first steps into the world of live media coverage…
Completely apropo of nothing:
For some reason I think of that scene in Back to the Future where George McFly is being kicked around the hall of his high school, and the only thing he can do to muster up some dignity is to respond to the guys with “Ha ha, very funny.”
Because, you know. He’s in on the joke too.
Jeff,
You are spectaclar in your attempt to be wierd, but you will ever “out-weird” this kind of truly, dedicated wierd! Mark is absoutely “really, really freaky man”. As, well you know, hard as you may try, you can’t compete with the real thing. I’m sorry it has worked out this way, but Mark is far stranger than you can ever be. Don’t hate me.
Damnit, I spent all last month repairing the 4th wall, and now you’ve done gone and blowed it all up again. Thanks a lot Mark.
Awful big of Mark the big, grown-up journalist to forthrightly admit his mistake like that. You can disagree with his enlightened, compassionate point of view, but you just have to respect the way he steps up and takes his medicine. Real stand up guy. Not at all like John “the son-of-a-bitch pushed me” Kerry.
Great eye for humor too. Ooh . . . and web savvy. Not to mention fine research skills. All around cool cat.
Homecoming king, I bet. Nah, but he’s above those petty acolades. Right on, brother.
Wow, Jeff, next thing you know, these real journalists will be writing his articles about events before they happen … oops, that’s been done.
“Sometimes the best way to be in on a joke is to play along.”
WINK!
Ohhhhh, now I get it! He was being ironic by including your post because somebody else linked to it…or something. A-and he knew you weren’t there all along! For real! Furthermore, we were the butt of his meta-joke! Boy, is there egg on all of our faces!
Now hang on now, you’re not in New York City? And the point of his article was that you’re not in New York but you sound just like the people that are in New York and even though he didn’t know that it obviously proves his point that all righty bloggers are as stupid and banal as lefty bloggers even though you were making fun of all of them and now I’m confused.
Please tell me that you’re at least sporting the Glenn Reynolds’s cowboy/Hitler/Hunter S. Thompson look for real.
Well, except for the mustache, yes. Yes I am.
Huh? What? Jeff, you’re not at the RNC? Does that mean you weren’t at the DNC? But but, we’ve been syndicating your coverage all over Europe in place of the AP and UPI feeds.
Oh, well, guess we don’t have to apologise, we’re Big Media, and while the actual facts may be a little, um, questionable, you have been revealing the greater truths, which is what counts after all.
Ok, faith restored. My last comment should have used the word “monolithic” in some capacity. I regret the error.
Damnit Tim, Matt, you keep blundering into my 4th wall repair work. I’ll never get things done in time for Jeff’s trip to Baghdad for Saddam’s trial at this pace. To say nothing of the plans for the “September Surprise.”
Had me fooled.
I paypal’ed Jeff $40 so he could send out rounds of Shirley Temples to two or three more deserving folk.
just kidding, Jeff.
The PayPal icon doesn’t work.
To thwart further confusion, it might be necessary to post a dwarf-tossing reference to help bring Follman and his ilk into the tent. Update: Follman’s offline now, shouting obscenities at Tivo’ed Daily Show reports on his Sony Plasmatron.
I don’t get this conversation.
Dammit, Jeff, if you aren’t in NYC, who the FUCK did I just have breakfast with?
It’s a joke within a joke within a joke, wherein the jokester gets to play the part of the jokee and vice-versa, thus causing everyone to forget who the original jokester was to begin with, but we all still laugh and snicker because somewhere in here there was a joke and we all may as well laugh so we can appear to part of the in-joke that time forgot.
Or, we can just call Mark Follman deserving names and be done with it.
(hmm, is that mud on Moore’s face in that “AP†photo?†I didn’t catch that on the AP wires… )
No, that’s blood-rhymes-with-mud on Monseiur Moore’s face.
Ya’ know, from eating the entire Bull Elk.
Raw.
‘Cause there’s a lot of blood in an elk when you eat it raw. Rah, rah, rah, Mooooore Science!
Ya’ know.
I’ll be Jason Sehorn is really relieved that you’re not at the convention.
No Jeff, you don’t get it. It’s all double secret meta-crypto-post-ironic commentary that you and all the other blinded by the right idiots can’t see.
Final score: Goldstein 21, Follman 0
So Mr. Follman’s excuse is basically “look how easy it was to fool EVEN ME, therefore, the rest of the bloggers doing serious reporting must be doing shoddy work!”
I’m still waiting for the day when a “real” journalist wins a debate on the facts with a blogger, who has usually already made them look stupid once. The journos just keep lining up for more. Talk about your tinfoil hats …
Jeff B: Be careful what you wish for. One day someone who has actually read an economics book will take on Atrios or Josh Marshall. In those circumstances you wouldn’t really want to bet on the (or at least those) blogger (s).
I guess the problem would be finding a “real” journalist who has read an economics book.
The real point of all the lightweight blog coverage is that the blogggers are learning with the so called professionals learned a long time ago.
There is no news at the conventions. It’s a taxpayer financed party – nothing more. The taxpayer financed part should be abolished.
These condescending asses SO don’t get the blogosphere. When they criticize it they come off looking like John Kerry trying to daintily suck down a Philly cheesesteak.
Who would’ve guessed that the only truthful post on this site, would be the funniest one. No offense or anything Jeff, but no fiction could ever top that. Do you suppose Alex Beam and Mark Follman will start a support group?
Posted by Wind Rider –
Did you notice a mild note of cherry pez over the bacon and eggs? And lipstick on the mirror?
Understandable mistake, what with the new mustache and all.
And I’m pretty sure the DNC coverage was real
Posted TO wind rider, (sorry)
An oversight, sir, which has been corrected!
Well Hell’s Bells! I thought you were there Jeff! Does that make me as stupid as mark?…don’t answer that. The lefties don’t get it. I think its the sense of humour thing. Its hard to have one when you have all your writing utensils stuck up your a**
An officer and a gentleman, Captain. Thanks!
Kathleen—that image hurts. Even if you try to imagine writing with a quill.
I just wanted to know who won the pissing contest yesterday?
I mean, the Lowry/Franken match. I know who won Goldstein/Follman. Stroke of genius making him think you were back in Colorado, Jeff…
And I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Linda Vester. Should’ve bet on her instead of Lowry.
Tim W – good point.
Not only is Salon misinformed and humor-impaired, they’re accepting advertising from the enemy camp. My ‘day pass’ was sponsored by the running dogs of the Wall Street Journal.
Salon stock is in bad shape, as usual. I guess their Love Boat cruise with Joe Wilson didn’t pay off.
We shouldn’t make fun of Follman – his reasearch time is probably spent stoking the coal fireplace and scrounging through a nearby Starbuck’s waste bin for coffee dregs and biscotti scraps.
Ad Hominem attacks have become standard fair for Repukes haven’t they? Totally disappointing for me. No wonder so few people vote.
Heh heh… “Repukes.” That sure sounds funny. Ooh, look, a flashlight!
Repukes?
That’s all you got?? C’mon, man, give us some pithy po-mo, smugger-than-thou shit or take your pathetic game elsewhere. You’re clearly out of your league here, pal.
Flashlight. Heh heh hmmm.
That would be “standard fair”, though, wouldn’t it?
“Repukes”—now, that just isn’t “fare”.
“Sometimes the best way to be in on a joke is to play along.â€Â
So, like, when Raines printed Jayson Blair’s whole-cloth fabrications, he was merely optimizing his mirth?
So like, if real live journalists can cite and create fiction to reveal higher truths, maybe Jeff G. really is a real journalist, in which case our rebuke of Mark is utterly unfounded. I mean, what’s more newsworthy than higher truth? Facts can be used to prove stuff that’s even remotely true. What matters are your good intentions. Truth isn’t black or white–it’s kind of grey. Greyish. Bit on the grey-blue side, maybe.
Truth is fiction, ignorance is strengh, arbeit macht frei, Kerry was in Cambodia and Michael Moore ate a bull elk.
Too funny. You have to love the old media types, they just refuse to admit when they’re wrong and look even more stupid as they just keep digging.
They appear to have never understood the saying about how when you’re in a hole, stop digging.
I guess Mark’s ahead a little, at least he didn’t quote the Onion or Scrappleface. I just hope he doesn’t find FrnakJ, I can just imagine the new slant on Abu Ghraib stories, wherein Rummy strangles the prisoners himself while Bush plays Mariocart.
“It’s all double secret meta-crypto-post-ironic commentary….” Don’t forget monolithic.
this is funny and all, but how dense can you people be? have any of you bags of hammers even remotely figured out that defending a blog who spends all its time being satire about other blogs or media that are being totally idiotic themselves, is exactly the point? the salon guy had it more right than any of you obvious realize.
Yes. Rather than cherry-picking yet another example of what he thinks is shallow “journalism,” Follman sought out a satirical blog, didn’t identify it as such—all so he could make some meta-ironic point entirely dependent upon my decision to respond in the first place.
He’s that brilliant.
…Or, alternately, he’s a shoddy journalist who fucked up, and you are the only real tool around here.
Christ. Don’t you people ever just fess up to your mistakes? Or does Oprah forbid it?
Ok, now it makes sense. Follman was right because he was wrong.
Bag of hammers? What kinda insult is that? Is that some northeastern nose up your butt prep school term of scorn? Cuz I never heard of it.
Jeff and Matt, you hit the nail on the head….HHHEY!!! NOW I GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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