This week’s National Journal poll of political bloggers started off by asking them to rank the importance of various media that the political blogger himself uses to stay informed. On both the Right and the Left, “websites/blogs” came in first. However, on the Left, daily print newspapers were second, while on the Right, they were fifth. Print magazines were third on the Left, and last on the Right. For me, the web comes first, and print newspapers (Wall St. Journal, NY Times, Denver Post, and Boulder Daily Camera) are second.
The next question was to give a grade to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. The Left gave him a B-, while the Right voted for D+. I gave him a B, and explained, “He’s said some silly things, but some missteps are inevitable when one talks to the media that much. Overall, he comes across as a likable guy. The failed policies he has to defend aren’t his fault.”
The final question was “Do think it’s a good idea for struggling newspapers to become nonprofits in order to receive tax breaks?” Sixty-nine percent of the Left, but only 16 percent of the Right liked the idea. I thought it was a fine idea, as long as a particular newspaper meets the legal standards to be a non-profit: “Why not? The country is better off with daily print newspapers than without them.”