MSM Using Blogosphere as an Unpaid, Uncredited Research Dept.

Blogosphere: Doing the Research the Mainstream Press Won't Do

MSM: Trying to improve the Bottom Line?



Simon Scowl at Deceiver is upset.

He's discovered that the blogosphere, which was the only place--besides, of course, the National Enquirer--doing any digging into John Edwards' affair with Rielle Hunter and his cover up operation--is serving as the Mainstream Media's unpaid and uncredited Research Division.

Weird, huh? Deceiver was the only place talking about this stuff for at least a week and a half, and all of a sudden everybody else has been doing original research on it the whole time? Or maybe it doesn’t count as research when we do it, since we’re just a silly gossip blog with a hot-pink logo. Maybe that’s it.

Dear Serge F. Koveleski, Patrick Healy, Toby Lyles, and everybody else at the New York Times:

You know the blogs and tabloids beat you to this story. Everybody knows. It wasn’t exactly difficult, considering you guys waited almost three weeks for John Edwards to give you permission. You’re not going to salvage your reputation by pretending otherwise.

Also, somebody should talk to whoever writes your headlines. “Behind a Meeting That Exposed Edwards’s Affair”? Why not just type out an equivalent number of Z’s?

Signed,
Your uncredited researcher

Updates to story at DBKP.com: Mainstream Media Uses Blogosphere as Unpaid Research Wing in Edwards Scandal

DBKP also has been affected. A few weeks ago, the Times of London's SARAH BAXTER, inserted material from our July 23 John Edwards Affair: Interview with David Perel, Editor-in-Chief of the National Enquirer into her Times' story--without a word about the source where she stole the material.

We wrote about the plagiarism after being alerted by blogger, Doug Ross in MSM Stealing Blog Content: Times Online Joining Growing MSM Trend?. Baxter's article (readers will have to do their own Googling--the Times gets no link here) gives the impression that she contacted National Enquirer's Editor-in-chief, David Perel and talked to him.

Our three letters to the Times remain unanswered. The Times Online still carries Baxter's story with our material, without attribution.

These two cases are not the only ones: one reader alerted DBKP yesterday that portions of a story posted on one network's website "sounded suspiciously like something you wrote about a few days ago".

We read the article and suspected a little--okay, a lot--rewriting may have occurred. But, what the hell? At least, some effort was expended by a Mainstream Media reporter furiously trying to get up to speed on a story Big Media blacked out for nine months with all the fervor of a religious zealot.

Of course, the MSM wouldn't have had to resort to these shady practices if just one of the members of their clubby community had investigated allegations surrounding John Edwards nine months ago: but that would've put a dent in the invitations to the wine-and-cheese parties.

The only investigation came from the National Enquirer and a few bloggers. But, you wouldn't know it if you watched the Big Media frenzy of this past weekend. Some stories didn't even mention the National Enquirer by name--it became an unnamed "tabloid".

John Edwards' "confession"--forced on him by the "tabloid trash" National Enquirer-- transformed the MSM from an early-July Rip Van Winkle into August 8 Woodward and Bernsteins. Don't believe that? Readers only have to stifle their gag reflex and tune in to the MSM coverage.

Readers--and writers--of the blogosphere can expect more of the same. With MSM "news" organizations cutting staff in an effort to stay afloat, stealing from the blogosphere serves as a profitable way to "cover" stories previously denied to readers.

The John Edwards scandal is only the latest battle between citizen journalists and a MSM in a death spiral. It won't be the last. Big Media has proved incredibly resistant to changing editorial policies that have driven readers and viewers to find other, less left-leaning content.

Polls show that the percentage of people who trust what the MSM writes hovers somewhere between carnival barkers and used car salesmen. More Americans believe in UFOs than believe the Mainstream Media is unbiased.

The media reaction: attack citizen journalists and hunker down behind excuses of "standards" that drove ex-customers away with the highly-selective nature those standards were applied. Oh, and practice a code of denial that would make John Edwards proud.

The Mainstream Media wants to improve their bottom line?

Clean house of editors intent on serving up the same cheesy gruel of socialist opinion masquerading as news. The public's been onto that scam for years: falling stock prices and ad revenues confirm it.

Or CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Time, Newsweek, and the New York Times could try billing the Democrat National Committee for PR services rendered.

P.S. Welcome to the club, Simon.

by Mondoreb
image: dbkp reference file

Global Warming: Kidney Stones and Melon Heads

Global Warming Delusions May Turn Brains To Mush




Although the world has been undergoing dramatic cooling for the last 19 months, that has not stopped the Warmists from finding ever more reasons to panic about the non-existent effects of imaginary warming.. A new low was recently touched upon.

GLOBAL WARMING MAY LEAD TO MORE KIDNEY STONES

Headlines such as this flew around the globe yesterday.Yahoo News, Bloomberg, The Boston Globe all headlined the latest thriller pathology to be inflicted upon the world because of the existence of mankind. We are not talking polar bears here. This is personal. From the article.

"July 15 (Bloomberg) -- More Americans may develop kidney stones as global warming raises the risk of dehydration, according to a study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...
Warmer temperatures predicted by climate scientists may lead to a 30 percent increase in kidney stone cases in some U.S. regions, researchers at the University of Texas wrote in the study published today. That would result in a $1 billion increase in annual treatment costs by 2050, they said...

``It's pretty well established that the prevalence of kidney stones increases with annual average temperatures,'' lead author Tom Brikowski, associate professor of geosciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, said in an interview.

So we have a geologist telling me that warmer temperatures cause kidney stones.And that the USA and presumably the world will be paqued by the same. Because in case the geoscience guy did not notice, there are places a lot hotter than most of the USA. At anyrate, DBKP found the assertion so laughable, we put the matter to our esteemed scientific panel for review.




After almost 10 minutes of research, the came up with the following.

"According to a study on the incidence of kidney stones in the United State, people have a higher incidence of stones in the South. The West has the lowest incidence in the U.S. Some researchers believe the higher incidence in the South is caused by higher rates of hypertension, hot and humid climates due to dehydration, and poor dietary habits that results in magnesium deficiencies."

Nothing about TEMPERATURE whatsoever. And the West is a lot hotter than the South. A nonfactor. In fact sex and ethnicity play a far larger role.Women are 4 times more likely than men to get kidney stones. Whites more likely thasn other groups. Genetics may be the most important factor. And most important of all, drink lots of beer. Absent that, water makes a poor second choice.

by pat
images:
* affordable housing institute
* wise guys promo
* People's Cube

Human-Animal Embryo Research Gets Approval to Begin in Britain

"O brave new world
That hath such people in't!"

--Shakespeare




The story in the Times was matter-of-fact.

What was considered the stuff of science fiction and horror films only years ago will now get the government stamp of approval.

Experiments to create Britain’s first embryos that combine human and animal material will begin within months after a government watchdog gave its approval yesterday to two research teams to carry out the controversial work.

Scientists at King’s College London, and the University of Newcastle will inject human DNA into empty eggs from cows to create embryos known as cytoplasmic hybrids, which are 99.9 per cent human in genetic terms.

As always, the possible cure of some dread disease will be held out as the justification of it all.

The experiments are intended to provide insights into diseases such as Parkinson’s and spinal muscular atrophy by producing stem cells containing genetic defects that contribute to these conditions. These will be used as cell models for investigating new approaches to treatment, and to improve the understanding of how embryonic stem cells develop.

The reactions to the Times' article was as could be expected.

Most were not happy at this once-random "Act of God" being usurped by man.




"Why not just merge a human and a jackal to create the anti-christ and be done with it."
--Louis, Arlington, VA

"Barbarous. Unspeakably vile. H.G. Wells' 'Island of Doctor Moreau' has become a reality. God help us all."
--Bosco, Bantry, Ireland

The Times went on to say.

Some critics of cybrid embryos have argued that their use is no longer necessary, given the recent development of a reprogramming technique that can turn back the clock on adult tissue to make “induced pluripotent” stem cells with embryo-like properties, but the HFEA licence committee rejected this.

And their readers went on to say.

"This is an OBSCENE TRAVESTY!!! This has NOTHING to do with "science". There should be stiff international penalties for this kind of work!

To say this is for the "betterment of mankind" is, in itself a disgusting and inexcuseable vanity!

This should be a crime and those "scientists" who engage in this kind of "research" should receive maximum punishment for their crimes against God, humanity and nature.

Pssshhh, If god was very, very annoyed, he'd have toasted us all a long time ago. He's just chilling up there, watching us like a sitcom. I bet we're hilarious."
--Dan, USA,





"Its been being done for years. They have just gotten good enough at it now to go public. You are already riding the bus with hybrids. God is very, very annoyed."
--Escapee, Oak Ridge,

"Egads! We can now rename the British Isles the Isles of Dr. Moreau."
--DavidC, Middletown,




"And I though the "The Island of Dr. Moreau" was far fetched when I read it as a kid. I have to admit that the whole thing sounds like a bad idea to me. I just hope there are no bad consequences."
--Pete, New York City, USA

"Armageddon is right around the corner."
--Jasper, Seattle, Washington

"Why in the world would anyone want to do research like this? paging Dr. Frankenstein!"
--Kathleen, Sacramento, California, USA

"it looks to me like the island Dr. Moreau. Yup, it's going to be that, the Matrix and Planet of the Apes all rolled up in one.

there is a saying is easier to destroy than to create. these people may not be happy with there own existance."
--luis, new york,

"Somewhere in some secret lab, there probably already exists a pathetic half human/animal."
--Tom, Washington, DC, US

"Will it taste like chicken?"
--Jeff, Austin, Tx

"Come on people, this is nothing new. We've been performing human sacrifice for thousands of years. It's just a new god, and a lab instead of an altar."
--Think, Holland,

Of course, the smart set will deride anyone who questions this as a "caveman" hoping to set back the cause of "progress" and "science".

Where once the Bible was held up to unthinking masses as proof something was right, good and necessary, now "Science" takes its place.

And this is only the beginning.

by mondoreb
[images: RidesAPaleHorse]
Source:
* Animal-human embryo research is approved



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.

In New England, 10 More Inches of Evidence Pile Up For Man-made Climate Change

Man-made Climate Change spokeman offers
one possible cause for record-setting snow

The UN conference on climate change drags on in Bali.

The United States made a dramatic reversal Saturday, first rejecting and then accepting a compromise to set the stage for intense negotiations in the next two years aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

Evidence piles up

Meanwhile, most of the northeastern United States shoveled 10 more inches of evidence for man-made climate change.

New England dug out on Friday from a record-setting storm that dumped 10 inches of snow on Boston, more than the city typically sees in the entire month of December.

Thursday's storm hit hours before the afternoon commute, snarling roadways and leaving some travelers -- many of whom left their offices early only to face the storm's full force on the road -- stranded for hours during their trips home. Others had to abandon their cars or sleep in them after running out of fuel, local media reported.

Climate change advocates search for answers

More than 400 flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport.

The National Weather Service said the region could expect another blast over the weekend, when a second storm is expected to drop 6 inches of snow and sleet starting on Saturday evening.

Scientist United for Climate Change (SUCC) vow to continue important research

Thursday's snowfall set a new one-day record for December 13, and was more than the 7.8 inches that typically falls during the entire month of December.

Meanwhile, Al Gore moved on from the Bali conference to Switzerland, where he collected another honor.

[click on images to enlarge]

by Mondoreb
[graphic 4 & 5 by RidesAPaleHorse]
[images:freakinnews]
Source: New England Digs Out After Record Snowfall
CNN - U.S. Agrees to Bali Compromise



Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.