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Dec

18

Newsweek, Media Bloggers Association make a Ruckus, group politics blog

Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Politics, WH2008, Writing | Comments Off

Citizen journalists and mainstream media, together again? They are making a Ruckus!

Media Bloggers Association (MBA) and Newsweek have launched “The Ruckus,” a new group blog about politics for Newsweek.com. The blog will feature posts from nine MBA-member bloggers about the presidential campaign on a single page, giving Newsweek.com readers a convenient sampling of some of the best political blogging from across the country and from key primary states.”

‘The Ruckus’ places Newsweek on the cutting edge of this campaign season’s online political dialogue,” said Robert Cox, president of MBA. “MBA bloggers offer Newsweek readers fresh, authentic content with real-time updates from some of the nation’s leading political blogs.”

” ‘The Ruckus’ will be a key part of our 2008 campaign coverage,” said Deidre Depke, editor of Newsweek.com. “We want to expose Newsweek readers to all the exciting discourse and discussion that is taking place on political blogs today. We think ‘The Ruckus’ will help introduce readers to a new array of voices and will encourage enlightened political discourse as the ’08 race steps into high gear.”

“The Ruckus” (http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/theruckus/default.aspx) will include posts related to the 2008 campaign from MBA-member bloggers with a variety of political views and backgrounds, representing different parts of the country.

Read the rest here.

Writes Like She Talks was included in the initial group of blogs offered to Newsweek. My understanding is that Newsweek has chosen some with which to start and there is a strong hope that more blogs will be added as the project proceeds, more primaries are held and we get closer to conventions and 11/08. Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:20 pm December 18th, 2007 in Announcements, Blogging, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Politics, WH2008, Writing | Comments Off 

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Dec

18

WaPo profiles “blogging Iowa newsman” ‘cept guy hasn’t blogged in five weeks

Filed Under Blogging, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Politics, WH2008, Writing | 4 Comments

I was all set to write this lovely kudos piece about David Yepsen at the Des Moines Register.

But first, after reading today’s Washington Post piece titled, “The Scribe Who Gets The Candidates’ Vote: All Eyes on Blogging Iowa Newsman,” [emphasis mine] on how Yepsen’s blogging has brought him attention of the candidates, I noticed that WaPo doesn’t have a link to his blog. Hmmm.

I go and find it. I go to the blog.

Then I think, WaPo, WaPo, WaPo, you published this?

He is also the new-journalism king of the Iowa caucuses. Heck, if the Iowa caucuses had their own currency, the bills just might have David Yepsen’s face on them.

With his matter-of-fact newspaper assessments of candidates and their campaigns and his popular Register blog, launched for the 2008 cycle, he makes ‘em and he breaks ‘em. A positive Yepsen column is tantamount to an A-list endorsement, generating its own cycle of campaign press releases and news coverage. And if Yepsen goes negative, it can force a campaign to make changes real quick.

The “new-journalism king of the Iowa caucuses”? Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:25 am December 18th, 2007 in Blogging, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Politics, WH2008, Writing | 4 Comments 

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Dec

18

Spending on cells to exceed landlines, more reason to support retention of E-911 surcharge

Filed Under Government, Ohio, Politics, Statehouse, Utilities | Comments Off

Two articles today from two different sources:

Increased usage of cell phones – spending by us to exceed that for landlines

“Surcharge for wireless 911 service likely to continue”

There’s just no good reason not to support this minimal amount of money for infrastructure throughout the state that will help anyone who passes through or visits let alone lives in Ohio.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:26 am December 18th, 2007 in Government, Ohio, Politics, Statehouse, Utilities | Comments Off 

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Dec

18

One for the Huck lovers

Filed Under Campaigning, Elections, Politics, Religion, WH2008 | 4 Comments

From the great Ann Telnaes.  Courtesy of Women’s eNews.

(Mike Huckabee Endorsed the Southern Baptist Convention Statement of Beliefs on Marriage)

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:16 am December 18th, 2007 in Campaigning, Elections, Politics, Religion, WH2008 | 4 Comments 

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Dec

18

“Keep criminals disarmed” misses one group: gun owners who aren’t criminals until they misuse the gun

Filed Under Culture, Government, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Statehouse | 20 Comments

Does this Plain Dealer editorial, “Gun laws need to be strengthened and enforced to keep criminals disarmed,”
mean that only people who’ve already committed crimes are dangerous gun owners?

That doesn’t sound right. For one thing, it implies that we’re not properly sentencing and managing people who are already known to the criminal justice system. I’d like to see recommendations in the editorial that address that population.

Then there is the population of people who own guns legally and eventually commit crimes – this group includes several of the mass killers in 2007.

So, what about them?

Again, we see a focus on the act and not on the breeding ground that moved the actor to act. Until we figure out how to eliminate, mitigate or otherwise neutralize the societal factors that create the desire to use guns irresponsibly and lethally, don’t expect too many huge changes in gun violence.

Last note on the editorial: there’s some support for home rule in there. I’d love to see an editorial, column or article that reviews the status of Ohio’s constitutional provision for home rule – across all of the legislation passed in the last five to ten years because the PD’s editorial argues in favor of it without naming it as having been a target of the Ohio legislator. Just putting that suggestion in the hopper.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:43 am December 18th, 2007 in Culture, Government, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Statehouse | 20 Comments 

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Dec

18

Naymik says Strickland’s earned more feathers than black eyes in 2007

Filed Under Media, Ohio, Politics | 2 Comments

I’ll have to re-read Mark Naymik’s column from this morning in the Plain Dealer that reviews Gov. Ted Strickland’s first year in office – I have to find something to quibble with.  Maybe not – we’ll see.

But overall, yeah – he does a good review.  You can read it here – for a few weeks anyway. Go ahead, wince.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:30 am December 18th, 2007 in Media, Ohio, Politics | 2 Comments 

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