Don't Touch John

A few years back I went to a playoff game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls. It was a tight game and the refs were especially solicitous of Mr. Jordan. The Hornets picked up a couple of questionable fouls when His Airness had the ball.

What sticks in my mind is the reaction of the Charlotte fans. There were boos, of course. But then they started chanting "Don't touch Mike" each time the Bulls Brought the ball up court. For sports fans, that was pretty witty. Using sarcasm to shame the referees is way beyond the usual "you suck" screams aimed at officials.

This came to mind watching the press reaction to the SBVT, Bush AWOL, and Rathergate stories over the past couple of weeks. The press is like those referees-they are supposed to be unbiased, but they also are concerned about the well-being of their superstars. They cannot call a foul on the SBVT or those who analyze the Christmas in Cambodia fairy tale. However, they can portray them as GOP tools or loner losers who have no professional credentials. If they cannot squelch the questions about the Kerry record, they can keep returning to Bush's National Guard record. (See Prof. Bainbridge for the latest example.)

The encouraging thing is that the Charlotte fans succeeded. Their taunting chant seemed to force the officials to drop their special "Jordan rule" and gave the Hornets an even break. Can bloggers do the same with the MSM?

Even if they cannot force real fairness on the press, bloggers have one signal advantage: journalists lack the uncontested power of a referee. Their power is indirect and rests in the minds of the voters who read/view their stories. Their influence depends on their credibility and the relative size of their megaphone. Both of these factors are eroding before our eyes.