Politico: Yes, Palin degrades our discourse, but she drives traffic

[kpete]

Posted at 10:48 AM ET, 07/23/2010
Politico: Yes, Palin degrades our discourse, but she drives traffic

A striking admission by Politico's John Harris and Jim VandeHei in their big piece today on the new media reality:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/40146_Page2.html#ixzz0uW4cBBcO

At POLITICO, we have an unusual vantage point on this new reality. We are both an enabler (in the eyes of some critics) of the deterioration of political discourse, and a target of it (as we try to defend our values as neutral journalists amid constant criticism from activists who think we fail at neutrality or are disdainful of the goal in the first place).

There is some truth on both counts. Like all news sites, we are aware that conflict clicks. More traffic comes from an item on Sarah Palin's "refudiation" faux pas than from our hundreds of stories on the complexities of health care reform or Wall Street regulation.

This is actually an important concession: Frivolous items about Sarah Palin do degrade our discourse, but we need to do them, because the simple fact is that people click on them in droves.

more:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/politico_yes_palin_degrades_di.html

[ixion]

1. I'm sorry, by treating Palin as 'news' one gives up the moniker of "neutral journalist"

In my opinion.

[dkf]

2. She is the butt of our jokes turning her into a star. Oh the irony.

[immune]

3. As always,

follow the money. Why would they care that a bimbo is carrying the bankroll.

[Spazito]

4. Politico "neutral"? Yeah, riiiight...

Bought and paid for by rabid right money men. Talon News re-incarnated.