Legal Commentary

Logrolling In Our Time

By Big Tent Democrat

Glenn Greenwald:

Last year, after I wrote critically about a well-known journalist who frequently appears on the TV and is considered "liberal," he emailed me (after first asking me to agree that our conversation would be private) to warn that I should be more "careful" about attacking "allies" if I wanted to expand my platforms and get on television. That's how the culture works. Those are the weapons which politicians -- and journalists -- use to try to punish those who criticize them and reward those who refrain from doing that. But for people who are indifferent to those "rewards" and affirmatively want to be without them, establishment journalists can't control or otherwise deter them from shining a negative light on what they do. It's natural that they're angry about that and bitterly resent those who do it, but that's just the nature of accountability.

Glenn swims in the ocean where he must be paid for his writing so of course he can't be perfect on this - but more so than any other paid writer I know, Glenn writes what he thinks without concern for logrolling. For that alone, he is to be treasured. Of course, his meticulous research is another part of his work that is invaluable. I disagree with Glenn a fair amount on issues and have criticized him when I think he is wrong. Unlike Joe Klein, Glenn addresses the substance of the criticism, whether he thinks it is correct or incorrect. He does not hold a grudge against those who render substantive criticism of his views. We need more Glenn Greenwalds. We need less Joe Kleins. I fear we got more Kleins than Greenwalds in the progressive blogs the past few years.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on September 01, 2009 (boomark / email).