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CAMPOS: Blogs are the future

By Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published May 7, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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The science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon famously observed that "90 percent of everything is crap." This aphorism was intended to defend science fiction from the charge that most of it is bad. Sturgeon's point - since formalized as Sturgeon's Law - is that such criticism is empty, since it applies with equal force to every form of writing.

If he had kept this in mind, H.G. Bissinger might have avoided making a fool of himself on national television. Bissinger is a writer and journalist, best-known as the author of the excellent book Friday Night Lights, which explores life in a football-mad west Texas town.

Last week Bissinger appeared on the HBO program Costas Now, as part of a panel that was supposed to discuss the role of the Internet in sports journalism. Another of the panelists was Will Leitch, author of the popular blog Deadspin.

Bissinger launched into a profane tirade against blogs in general, and Leitch's site in particular. Brandishing copies of vitriolic, expletive-filled comments posted by visitors to Deadspin, Bissinger quoted from these unedifying texts, while indulging in a vitriolic, expletive-filled denunciation of bloggers, who, according to Bissinger, dedicate themselves to running Internet sites full of cruelty, journalistic dishonesty and naughty words. This, according to him, is causing "the complete dumbing-down of our society."

Bissinger's tirade was an all-too-familiar example of a certain polemical genre, which has become quite popular over the last few thousand years: a lament regarding the unprecedentedly degenerate state of the younger generation.

It's a particular favorite of angry, frightened and confused old men, who look back with bitter nostalgia to the golden days of their youth, when a dollar was worth a dollar, young women didn't dress like harlots, and athletes always played hard and bothered to master the fundamentals of their craft, despite comparatively modest salaries.

Indeed when glancing at Bissinger's biography I was horrified to discover he's only five years older than I am. (I comforted myself with the thought that he might suffer from George F. Will Syndrome. Classic symptoms include, but are not limited to, emerging from the womb wearing a bow tie).

Bissinger's biography does offer some clues as to why he might be so appalled by the notion that millions of people are visiting sites like Deadspin, as opposed to reading the work of, to choose an author at random, H.G. Bissinger.

Bissinger graduated from the nation's fanciest prep school, Phillips Andover, before going on to earn a degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard. Just a few years later he won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting he did at The Philadelphia Inquirer. A story he wrote for Vanity Fair was later made into the movie Shattered Glass.

In other words, Bissinger's rhetorical thunderbolts are being hurled from atop the social and journalistic heap. People like Bissinger are (understandably) nervous about how the Internet is eroding the traditional gatekeeping function of the culture's elite institutions.

And of course much of what the Internet offers as a substitute for traditional journalism is worse than worthless. But, as Sturgeon's Law reminds us, that's beside the point.

In regard to sports journalism, as in so many other areas, the best of the Internet isn't as good as what was produced by the elite institutions of the old media: it's far better.

Consider MGOBLOG.com, a site produced by a 20-something University of Michigan graduate, Brian Cook. If you happen to be obsessed with the Michigan Wolverines football team, you'll discover that Cook's blog is a source for news, analysis and writing on this topic that's vastly superior to anything one can find in the traditional media.

When it comes to journalism, the revolution will not be televised - it will be blogged.

Paul Campos is a professor of law at the University of Colorado. He can be reached at paul.campos@colorado.edu.

Comments

  • May 7, 2008

    6:16 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Lowtaxequalsfreedom writes:

    Mass media caters to the masses, nothing will dumb down society quicker than that business model. Blogs are great because they cater to niche markets. You can really pick up some good info. Just make sure your read a large variety. Purposely go outside of you comfort zone!

  • May 7, 2008

    8:41 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Ted_in_Vegas writes:

    Blogs work because they're interactive and normally requires the writer to defend their positions.

    Campos has a point here, but he needs to start trying to defend his positions.

  • May 7, 2008

    9:22 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    CU59Skier writes:

    Finally, the Boulder law prof has provided a useful diagnosis for the laughable stuff published beneath his name: the 90-percent crap test.

  • May 7, 2008

    1:04 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    kathyM writes:

    Campos, 100% of everything about UM football is crap.

  • May 7, 2008

    3:15 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    peterpi writes:

    Actually, I think Campos may be lampooning himself to a small degree here. I am astonished to find myself in agreement with LowTax: If Internet users stick to blogs they're comfortable with, they don't learn, they're just simply justifying their smugness. Definitely get outisde the comfort zone.
    Yes blogs and comments sections are full of disguised vulgarity, shouting contests, and remarks to letters on all subjects under the sun about hysterical lefties and/or righties. But often amidst all the noise, real debate comes about with a wide range of opinion.
    H.G. Bissinger sounds like he's part of the 90%. He may be a polished, preppie part, but he's part of the, um, expelled product of the south end of a north-facing intact male bovine nonetheless.

  • May 7, 2008

    5:22 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Achilles writes:

    Mr. Campos,

    You could have saved a lot of ink and typing by simply limiting your column to this:

    "Blogs are the future. When it comes to journalism, the revolution will not be televised - it will be blogged."

    Everything in between those two sentences was your typical nonsensical blathering.

  • May 7, 2008

    9:49 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    MereMortal writes:

    Dr. Campos,

    Thank you, Captain Obvious. Tune in next week kids, when Dr. Campos discovers that cell phones can take photos!

  • May 8, 2008

    5:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Spencer writes:

    you said there is more idiots

  • May 8, 2008

    11:20 p.m.

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    Faux_Noise writes:

    "Buzz Bissinger is well educated and has been recognized for excellence in his field, therefore he should not be taken seriously as a critic of anything new as he represents the status quo." That's you're argument. Pathetic.

  • May 9, 2008

    3:20 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    kevinjjones writes:

    "Bissinger's tirade was an all-too-familiar example of a certain polemical genre, which has become quite popular over the last few thousand years: a lament regarding the unprecedentedly degenerate state of the younger generation."

    The typical contrasting polemic has as its theme "Problem? What problem?"

  • May 11, 2008

    3:07 a.m.

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    epaminondas writes:

    The 'costas' scene was unreal. The article is dead on. Awesome piece.

  • May 11, 2008

    9:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Achilles writes:

    Ever notice that "epaminondas" only posts on this column and only has great things to say about the content? If I were a suspicious man, I might have thought epaminondas to be...oh, never mind.

  • May 11, 2008

    11:06 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    me2 writes:

    Maybe there is a little "Borg" in all of us. From CB radios to bluetooth and cell phones. Instant, constant communication to the entire hive.

    I think something like this happened with the first telephones. Human seem to have a real need to talk to each other, in real time, all the time. At least some do.