A daddy blog.

31 August 2007

Richard Jewell Was the Last Guy to Feel Alone in His Hatred for CNN

This guy MJD makes a good point about the recently departed Richard Jewell:
The media and general public convicted him with a quickness (if blogs has existed in 1996, it would've probably been even worse for Jewell). He was a perfect target for the media ... overweight, mustachioed, unattractive, a bit of a loner, lived with his mother ... not the kind of guy who gets the benefit of the doubt upon first glance. [Emphasis mine.]
He's exactly right, though I think it would have played out different before and after the accusations. Blogs would have added (temporarily hilarious and mustache-related) fuel to the fire at first, and then when the case fell apart, they would begin scouring CNN et al for a scalp. Yes, that would be hypocritical. No, it wouldn't likely matter much.

If a scalp was won by the blogosphere, would that have been any more vindication for Jewell? Probably.

I don't see any evidence that all these pressures from bloggers result in better journalism. But, from the POV of someone wrongly accused by the media, the FBI, or internet basement dwellers, I bet seeing a scalp on the wall feels like a kind of progress.