connecting*the*dots

I was introduced to David Kline as a public figure, per chance, by catching him the other day on The O’Reilly Factor. While I almost exclusively review O’Reilly segments by visiting Media Matters (O’Reilly’s favorite site, mind you), I tuned into this particular segment about slanderous websites. I admit it; I wanted to see O’Reilly spinning reality within a realm I know a thing or two about.

As the "balanced guest from the left" Klein was immediately blown away by the conversation topic. O’Reilly’s patented tactical approach to force feeding his guest the Billy Boy perspective overwhelmed Kline, as he was completely uninformed regarding the blogosphere. He actually admitted, on-air, to have never heard of Media Matters (the site that O’Reilly focused his vengeance upon for the entire segment).

Media Matters is one of the most popular media watchdog/misinformation sites on the web, so much so that many well-known political bloggers use them as a source for their posts. Intrigued by such a naive understanding of the media ecosystem, I proceeded to browse over to Kline’s blog and become involved in a few of his posts. The first is basically an open apology to the left and to bloggers for how he allowed himself to be used and abused by O’Reilly. Hundreds of people posted comments, with the majority slamming him for his lack of preparation when appearing on such an obvious ambush show.

My reaction? As uniformed as he seemed to be, I shrugged it off as a poor showing and gave the guy a break. Today, my perspective has changed. Go to his site—blogrevolt.com—and scroll down to the lower right side of the page. His site is being managed by Christian Sarkar, a marketing guy that has coined his own website marketing strategy called, "Double Loop Marketing."

Let me get this straight.

1. A guy with practically zero hours put in as a blogger (his archives go back two months at the time of this post) writes, authoritatively, about the future of blogging—"Blog! How The Newest Media Revolution Is Changing Politics,
   Business and Culture"
2. He has someone managing his site? A marketing guy? Apparently, creating a blog template is too much for this "blogger" so he hires a marketing guy to build his blog, along with providing a strategy to pitch his book on the future of blogs to a specific demographic, which includes bloggers that come to his blo… I mean… site?
3. He somehow is booked to appear on The O’Reilly Factor, completely unable to defend the position of free speech and media accountability via the means of blogging.

No wonder Billy Boy’s staff picked this guy; he was ripe to be "found." I wonder what part of the "Double Loop" we were experiencing during the O’Reilly segment, let alone the part this post plays in it’s cycle of awareness and sales. Bill O’Reilly didn’t "stoop" to anything…

I’m sorry, but how can you not call this spade a spade.

Two days ago, Bill O’Reilly ran a 10 minute segment dedicated entirely to blasting Media Matters for America for "making stuff up about me… everyday of my life." And in order to validate his position, he stoops to pulling a bait and switch on David Klein to passively defend his position.

No class. None.

Well, apparently on the very same day, O’Reilly moved over to the radio mic and delivered his perspective on slavery, making the case that the Irish flight in the 19th century was the equivalent to the capturing, shipping and selling of African slaves.

Now, I’m a proud 25% Irish and happen to know this particular aspect of the history of our struggle. Beyond a shadow of doubt, O’Reilly is way off base.

The Potato Famine of 1846 - 1850 was horrible on numerous levels. In a nutshell, when the potato crops (which were the Irish peasants only form of food, barter and payment) became diseased and non-edible, absentee British landlords who owned most of the Irish land took advantage of the situation by running the tenant population out of house and home, driving many into starvation or to cargo ships heading to the New World, all in order to establish eminent domain in a foreign land.

2 million Irish men, women and children died — about 25% of the total population.

For the Irish who decided to undertake the many month-long trek to America on huge cargo ships, they fought disease, rape, murder and famine in the bowels of the vessels for the chance to make a new life in the new world. Upon landing in New York City, they were treated terribly by the established ethnic groups, beginning their uphill battle for a place in society, though already numerous steps ahead of generations of African slaves.

There’s a terribly beautiful and moving monument to this injustice and struggle located in Battery Park, Manhattan called the Irish Hunger Memorial. And if you want to read a stirring blow by blow account of the Irish potato famine, pick up a book called, “Paddy’s Lament, Ireland 1846 - 1847: Prelude to Hatred.”

While the book will open your eyes, it cannot excuse O’Reilly for his historically inaccurate portrayal of African slavery in this country.

As terrible as the circumstances surrounding the potato famine were, the Irish fled to America; bringing our names, our history and our culture along for the perilous ride.

Irish immigrants supported new arrivals of family with earned money, helping pay for their escape from the clutches of mother nature and British rule.

Africans, on the other hand, were dragged out of their villages by colluding terrorist states such as the Portuguese and the Dutch (two other parts of my ethnic DNA) and sold into slavery as a possession — like cattle — in The New World (Order). They lost their religion, their customs and their namesakes.

There is no comparison.

So I guess congratulations is in order, Bill. You poked your historically inaccurate paws into the bee-hive of Media Matters and then smeared their honey all over your face… all in the same day.

And you wonder why you get stung?

Chump.

Yesterday on The O’Reilly Factor, Bill O’Reilly invited two guests onto his program to whine about being held accountable by watchdog web sites for the things he says on-air. Number one on his “smear list” is Media Matters for America.

Personally speaking, I couldn’t have been more delighted.

You see, I’m in the midst of finishing up my part as the information architect on the next version of the mediamatters.org web site. When the site launches, it’ll be even easier for Joe Q. Public to provide media misinformation tips to the Media Matters analysts. The information retrieval system will be advanced as well, improving direct navigation and contextual browsing to topical items of interest. All in all, it’ll be a more educational, interactive and intuitive user experience.

Media Matters for America has a noble charge; to frame conservative misinformation as it occurs within any aspect of the American media ecosystem. Bill O’Reilly should be scared… as should Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and the entire mainstream media establishment. Media Matters is not about smearing, they’re about accountability.

If you don’t report the facts, Media Matters will point you out.
If you present a racist or immoral opinion, Media Matters will expose you.

The American press is supposed to operate out of principles of integrity and ethics, serving as the fourth estate, the public check and balance of government. That isn’t happening, as the media ecosystem has turned for the worse, pimping information for advertising dollars. So Media Matters, and thousands of blogs, now have a role in contextualizing the reported news, providing perspective and keeping the paid professionals in check.

If the American news machine actually cared more about exposing the truth of a story, and not constructing their format around an advertising model — placing a burden on editors to choose between the news and fact checked news — Media Matters wouldn’t exist.

So put on your seatbelt, Billy Boy. If you don’t stop spewing misinformation from a projected position of news, your rough ride is going to continue to get worse.

UPDATE: It turns out that O’Reilly and his producer goons baited David Kline to come on to discuss political blogging in general, and then switched format midstream to whine about Media Matters. Typical O’Reilly. Well, I’m sure Media Matters will thank him for the unpaid advertising. I would’ve thought that FOX learned their Marketing 101 lesson after hitting Al Franken up with a lawsuit. I guess not.