infobong.com

Andrew Sullivan spoke on "blogging and journalism" at the Texas Union last night, suggesting that blogs provide an end-run around institutional journalism for average citizens. While Michael Moore drew 4,400 the night before, maybe a hundred came out to see the right-wing creep blogger.

Sullivan said this was the first time he had been invited to speak about blogging specifically and couched the blog trend in revolutionary rhetoric.

Sullivan suggested that blogs offer writers lowered barriers to entry, comparing the amount of institutional experience a journalist needs before becoming an op/ed columnist to the amount of time it takes to set up a Blogspot blog. "All the ancient maladies of journalism are gone in one fell swoop," he said, suggesting blogs are more efficient means of sharing information and ideas.He also praised blogs inherent subjectivity, claiming the blog format allows greater "intimacy" between writer and reader than the editorial page of a newspaper or an opinion journal like The New Republic, which Sullivan once edited. As if to defend his move from print media to online media, he claimed that bloging is much like journalism. "Its the same, only more honest, more original, more flexible [than print journalism]", he said.

Finally, Sullivan invoked the spirit of participatory democracy to tout the potential of blogs. "It allows anyone to be not just a consumer, but a producer," he said, adding, "it is democracy made real." I found it interesting that the Ivy-educated Sullivan, reeking of privilege, would appropriate leftist notions of public participation to promote a medium dominated by middle-class computer-literate whites.

Sullivan prefaced his question-and-answer session by asking to keep questions in good taste, then joked, that tacky questions are often asked anyway. I assumed that this was a reference to the furor over the revelations that the HIV-Positive Sullivan was caught soliciting partners for "barebacking." I was unable to pose my question to Sullivan, which challenged his assertion that blogging uniquely enables publishing opinions by non-institutional writers. When he spoke of lowered barriers to entry, I thought immediately of how the 'zine community erupted as photocopiers became cheap and common during the 1980s. He also pointed to Natalie Merchant's recent self-released and distributed album as lowered barriers to entry, but I thought to myself, "Um, how is this different than Indie Rock?"

How are blogs that different from 'zines? I imagine Sullivan's answer would revolve around the Internet, making him the eToys.com of public discourse. Of course, a second answer would be leftists and progressives produce and consume 'zines and indie rock, while smug educated folk like Sullivan are firmly entrenched in the blogosphere.