The AP has been catching a lot of flack this week for their comments about Teddy Kennedy’s illness, but I had been interviewed a few times on Monday. Ivan Moreno is the writer, and he was a nice enough guy. (See my article on the AP coming up later today) Also asking me questions was a Guardian (UK) video crew. That was very fun, and I don’t recall how I even answered questions. Maybe I don’t give myself enough credit for knowing what I am talking about.
I was looking at convention coverage tonight on the internet, and lo and behold, there it was:
DENVER — The age of mom-and-pop pundit shops has arrived at the Democratic convention.
Bloggers are here by the hundreds, getting better seats and more respect than they ever have in their rather short history.
Mike Skowronek is a cattle rancher in Argentina. Mark Brooks is a retired land surveyor from Virginia. Vera Starbard works in public relations in Alaska. They are among the bloggers writing furiously from the convention floor or from a big tent with leather couches a mile away.
~~~
For the bloggers who don’t have a pass to the Pepsi Center or prefer to stay away from the long security lines, local groups and blog supporters created “The Big Tent.” The two-story structure feels more like a garage than a media center, with leather couches and a bar serving microbrewed beer.
~~~“What made me get into blogging was wanting to have a voice in politics,” said Brooks, a 51-year-old who describes himself as breaking the mold of what people might imagine as a typical blogger, making time to garden in the summer and spend time with his family.
“I’m not blogging from my mother’s basement in my sweat pants eating Cheetos,” he said.
That is hilarious. I was joking with the guy really, so for him to pick that quote is funny. Other than that, the article seems pretty fair. There is wide-eyed wonderment by the traditional media when they think about bloggers and what they do. I have found most people I met this week in the media were very nice. Everyone has been actually, but more on that later.
I haven’t found the Guardian video yet, but it will turn up I am sure.
