How to Interpret Political Blogs

Because the Internet has become such a pervasive influence in our society, we need to recognize the immense opportunity it offers as a source of information and witness to the world. The responsibility for processing this wave of information, however, lies firmly with us, the "surfers". Political and news blogs, like any other blog are reader-generated "web logs" where reporters and readers "post" stories and comments in a streaming format. Political blog posters are only slightly less passionate about their opinions than the most rabid sports fans and making sense of what's real and what's hyperbole is sometimes puzzling.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Start by finding websites that include blogs. News organizations frequently sponsor blogs or invite comment on their stories. The web has become the home of several "online" periodicals such as Huffington Post and the Daily Kos that mix news and opinion. Some sites, like the Moderate Voice, provide links to blogs organized by political position.

2. Decide up front how much time you want to spend reading blogs. You can waste serious time reading absolute garbage if you don't set limits. By spending a finite amount of time reading/posting, you'll develop the discipline necessary to find and return to worthwhile sites. Bookmark a website that links to a variety of blogs and explore them one by one.

3. Read a variety of blogs. Since many blogs are not censored save for profanity, there are some that function like your spam filter--they catch all the garbage the net has to offer. Even major news organizations, in an effort to encourage free exchange of ideas, tolerate childish rants and personal attacks. Find blogs that establish a standard of literacy and civility and stick pretty much to reason rather than rant.

4. Look at the content of posts. Do they discuss issues and ideas or do they contain personal attacks and scapegoating? Some adolescent snarkiness, unfortunately, is always present. In the better blogs, such discourse is usually limited to an intemperate comment or two and is politely allowed to pass unanswered by the grownups in the audience. Try to find blogs that are civil and stick to a discussion of politics rather than personality. Serious bloggers cite real-world sources and reputable news organizations. Try to avoid blogs whose posters who specialize in those old propagandists' tools of character assassination, boosterism and the Big Lie. If you find a blog dominated by these bullies, sign off and go elsewhere.

5. Bookmark a variety of reliable blogs and check them periodically for interesting stories or threads. Keep exploring new (to you) sites. If you eventually want to participate, practice civility and reasoned discourse and try not to respond to the abusive baiting that frequently occurs.

6. Blogging may not be for you. If you lose patience with the "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin"-type arguments or are horrified by irreverence, you may not care to participate. But exploring them is worthwhile because they give us an idea of what a certain (growing) segment of the population is thinking and how they express themselves.

Tips & Warnings

• The internet is a virtual democracy. There is a place for every opinion, no matter how civilized or ignorant, reasoned or intemperate. If you land on a blog where every other word is all caps, misspelled, or inflammatory, it's about equal odds that you've landed on a blog dominated by adolescents or militant haters. You would be well-advised to look elsewhere for enlightenment.
• Recently, bookmarking services like digg.com and del.icio.us.com have made it possible for readers to "vote" for their favorite articles. Remember the anonymous nature of the Internet when accepting these "recommendations." They may have been made by a Nobel laureate or an axe murderer. Mainly, though, they're just marketing tools to help their hosts/founders identify advertising opportunities.
• Since posters are not required to publish their real names or actual political affiliation, blogs cannot be considered reliable sources of information. Their only function is to provide an outlet for discourse and an opportunity for advertisers.

Resources

• links to blogs
• online periodical
• online periodical
• political fact checker