Last week Joseph Rago, an assistant editorial features editor at The Wall Street Journal, wrote "The Blog Mob: 'Written by fools to be read by imbeciles.'"

It was not well received by Dean or Ace, though it gave IowaHawk something to work with.

Mr. Rago will be my guest from 4:00 to 5:30 PM today (Pacific).  The audio is available here, and the transcript here.

UPDATE:

From an e-mailer:

He [Rago] doesn't seem to understand that you have to defend the things you
write. The only real check on the power of the press these days is for
non-journalists to have a voice. They might be impolite, vulgar or
partisan (as if journalists aren't), but they do much to fulfill the
intent of the First Amendment of assuring not only reporting of facts
those in power don't want to get out (the press having become itself a
monolithic power), but by engaging in robust debate over the issues of
the day. We had lost most of that, but we're starting to regain it
because of the blogosphere.

This David Ignatius article on American milbloggers in Iraq underscores some of the points I was referring to in my conversation with Rago.

UPDATE:

This is the sort of photo and commentary that MSM rarely --if ever-- shows you, but which Powerline and others routinely bring your way.  It is provocative and perhaps misleading, but only in the wat that every photograph is misleading.  The new media is busy every day bringing the alternative understanding of the world to your screens, and it is destroying old media in the process.  Joe Rago calls the 'sphere "chaos," which I think would better be described as the arrival of choice.