History of the Daily Kos
Markos M. (of the Daily Kos) on blogging…
By Chris Daly
I attended a conference the other day at Boston University on “New Media & the Marketplace of Ideas.”
(sponsored by BU’s Law School and College of Communication, as well as WBUR-FM radio and the Boston law firm Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye).
There were a lot of terrific speakers, panels, breakouts, and the like.
The keynote speaker was Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Daily Kos, perhaps the most influential progressive blog going.
He spoke at the lunch, which was served to about 100 people in the “Taj Mahal,” the suite of executive offices that BU can ill afford.
Here is what I learned at his talk:
Markos started blogging in 1992, mainly because he resented the gate-keeping of the MSM, which he felt presented a narrow range of views and failed to challenge Bush.
“Anyone who disagreed with the administration’s war footing faced vicious attacks,” he said. The country needed “free, fair, and independent” media at the time, but the MSM had become part of the White House propaganda machine.
He felt that people like himself faced a choice: to be passive consumers of media or to “bypass the gate-keepers.”
The vehicle? The internet.
“At the time, we had no idea what it could become.”
In 2002, his blog was “an insignificant speck” in the landscape of political reporting and commentary.
He says most people have been passive too long. The powers that be must be challenged. These include:
-- tenured faculty,
-- editors of books, magazines and newspapers,
-- music labels
-- political party big-shots.
Such people are gate-keepers over ideas, information, and culture.
At the time, he said, “I was a nobody.”
He went on to establish his credentials as a “nobody.”
Born in El Salvador… immigrated to Chicago … short and nerdy in school. “I was even a Republican,” he said, to great effect.
Then, things began to change.
He joined the Army in 1989 and served during the Gulf War. His service in the Army gave him two things: confidence and education. He emerged changed in another way, too: he was now a Democrat.
He attended a non-elite public college (Northern Illinois U), followed by Boston University Law School. (Hence the invitation to speak?)
He wanted to assert himself politically, but he lacked money and a pedigree. “And I wasn’t a kiss-ass.”
What to do?
As it happened, his mood coincided with a historic shift. In the old, industrial economy, the ability to follow orders was important. In the new, information economy, the ability to innovate and take initiative is important. The new economy was producing exactly the kind of tools he was looking for – blogs, podcasting, wikis, YouTube, social networks. All these things can empower individuals who are not in the power elites and allow everyone to participate rather than just consume.
“No longer content to merely receive messages, we now send them as well.” This led to what he called “a great new awakening” of ordinary people – and this was “not because someone gave them permission.”
“There is no permission to be granted!” he enthused.
In the new media, Markos maintains, bloggers like himself are building credibility, post by post, based on the accuracy of facts and the validity of arguments.
In closing he invoked the memory of Revolutionary-era Boston, where ordinary people overthrew a monarch.
“Like them, we are finding our voices.”
There was applause.
--30--
By Chris Daly
I attended a conference the other day at Boston University on “New Media & the Marketplace of Ideas.”
(sponsored by BU’s Law School and College of Communication, as well as WBUR-FM radio and the Boston law firm Prince, Lobel, Glovsky & Tye).
There were a lot of terrific speakers, panels, breakouts, and the like.
The keynote speaker was Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Daily Kos, perhaps the most influential progressive blog going.
He spoke at the lunch, which was served to about 100 people in the “Taj Mahal,” the suite of executive offices that BU can ill afford.
Here is what I learned at his talk:
Markos started blogging in 1992, mainly because he resented the gate-keeping of the MSM, which he felt presented a narrow range of views and failed to challenge Bush.
“Anyone who disagreed with the administration’s war footing faced vicious attacks,” he said. The country needed “free, fair, and independent” media at the time, but the MSM had become part of the White House propaganda machine.
He felt that people like himself faced a choice: to be passive consumers of media or to “bypass the gate-keepers.”
The vehicle? The internet.
“At the time, we had no idea what it could become.”
In 2002, his blog was “an insignificant speck” in the landscape of political reporting and commentary.
He says most people have been passive too long. The powers that be must be challenged. These include:
-- tenured faculty,
-- editors of books, magazines and newspapers,
-- music labels
-- political party big-shots.
Such people are gate-keepers over ideas, information, and culture.
At the time, he said, “I was a nobody.”
He went on to establish his credentials as a “nobody.”
Born in El Salvador… immigrated to Chicago … short and nerdy in school. “I was even a Republican,” he said, to great effect.
Then, things began to change.
He joined the Army in 1989 and served during the Gulf War. His service in the Army gave him two things: confidence and education. He emerged changed in another way, too: he was now a Democrat.
He attended a non-elite public college (Northern Illinois U), followed by Boston University Law School. (Hence the invitation to speak?)
He wanted to assert himself politically, but he lacked money and a pedigree. “And I wasn’t a kiss-ass.”
What to do?
As it happened, his mood coincided with a historic shift. In the old, industrial economy, the ability to follow orders was important. In the new, information economy, the ability to innovate and take initiative is important. The new economy was producing exactly the kind of tools he was looking for – blogs, podcasting, wikis, YouTube, social networks. All these things can empower individuals who are not in the power elites and allow everyone to participate rather than just consume.
“No longer content to merely receive messages, we now send them as well.” This led to what he called “a great new awakening” of ordinary people – and this was “not because someone gave them permission.”
“There is no permission to be granted!” he enthused.
In the new media, Markos maintains, bloggers like himself are building credibility, post by post, based on the accuracy of facts and the validity of arguments.
In closing he invoked the memory of Revolutionary-era Boston, where ordinary people overthrew a monarch.
“Like them, we are finding our voices.”
There was applause.
--30--
posted by Chris Daly at 11:47 AM
1 Comments:
Markos was being modest. From the beginning he has exhibited an uncanny ability to surf the times, to see trends early, and to understand the potential of the internet. Nobody was an earlier credentialed blogger at a political convention (California Democratic party in 2003). Nobody visualized a community blog like Markos. Nobody was selfless enough to step back to let the community thrive while still providing a necessary spine.
With the exception of a few missteps like a callousness towards the murdered contractors in Fallujah, he has been pitch perfect as an Army veteran outraged at the Bush abuse of America. It's amusing to watch the right try to demonize the electorally pragmatic Markos as a wild eyed leftie since he supports Democrats in the big tent in all their shades of blue. I think history will be generous to Markos as he has been generous to his front page writers, his members, and his country.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home