Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press [Hardcover]

Eric Boehlert (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1416560106 | ISBN-13: 978-1416560104 | Publication Date: May 19, 2009

From the author of Lapdogs comes an intriguing examination of the world of the blogosphere as a place where political journalists—and politicians—can reach out to a niche online audience that may have been turned off by traditional media channels.

Following in the bestselling tradition of Timothy Crouse’s classic book The Boys on the Bus, Bloggers on the Bus explores how the blogosphere has revolutionized and empowered progressive political campaigning. Liberal politicking has been radically impacted by these grassroots (or "netroots") efforts, influencing the candidates and how campaigns are conducted.

Using the 2008 presidential campaign as a compelling backdrop, Boehlert colors Bloggers on the Bus with character sketches of the people who are pioneering the major shift in today’s media. He describes how years before YouTube, a former pro rock saxophonist changed blogging forever by figuring out how to post television clips online. And perhaps most famously, a sixty-something Oakland housewife and Huffington Post volunteer managed to snag one of the biggest scoops of the Democratic Primary—Obama’s closed-door "bitter" comments.

Engagingly written and indisputably relevant, Bloggers on the Bus studies the unprecedented coverage, heated controversy, and major innovations that have emerged out of the political blogosphere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Award winning journalist Boehlert (Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush) introduces the new generation of political muckrakers who took the 2008 presidential campaign-and old guard, by-the-numbers reporting-by storm. From the banner names of newly minted powerhouse The Huffington Post to the vitriol dished out by established liberal outposts like The Daily Kos, Boehlert presents a Web's-eye-view of the American left's grand reawakening. The netroots, as they became known, "literally kept the lights on during a very dark period for liberals"; prominent blogger Digby puts it more bluntly: "The Internet became available just as American politics turned bat shit crazy." That craziness only accelerated through the presidential campaign, including the polarizing campaign of Hillary Clinton, Obama calling small-town Pennsylvanians "bitter," and the entire shock-and-awry VP candidacy of Sarah Palin. Boehlert also examines the use and misuse of social networking sites like MySpace, and some seismic changes in televised news (including mainstream media's biggest new star, unlikely MSNBC news host Rachel Maddow). Blogger Markos describes his site as "a place for passionate activists, not conflict-averse weenies"; Boehlert illustrates that ethos well in this opinionated, impossible to put down narrative, chronicling with cagey insider detail the failures of copycat reporting and the inspired citizen-journalists picking up the slack.

Review

"Eric Boehlert's book, Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press, is a tour de force about the rise of activist political blogging that deftly describes the rise of political blogging in the Bush Era. It takes the issue of political blogging and its effect on politics and journalism seriously and provides many first person accounts of how it came about." -- TalkLeft

"If you're interested in the political blogosphere and the netroots in general, Eric Boehlert's Bloggers on the Bus is a great read....[A] terrifically readable and carefully reported book. Highly recommended." -- Mother Jones

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (May 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416560106
• ISBN-13: 978-1416560104
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,331 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watching history change, one click at a time..., May 20, 2009

By 

L Goodman-Malamuth "Leslie Goodman-Malamuth" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press (Hardcover)

Having devoured Eric Boehlert's previous book, "Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for George W. Bush," I wasted no time in buying and reading "Bloggers on the Bus." This seminal book confirms my belief that Boehlert is one of the most incisive and accurate media critics writing today. He is perhaps uniquely well-positioned to document how election coverage has adapted (or not) to a 24/7 news cycle, and to detail what a substantial role bloggers have played in this seismic shift.

Like millions of other news junkies, my reading habits now include a wide variety of political weblogs along with MSM articles and broadcasts. In this book, Boehlert demonstrates that during the 2008 Presidential primary season, the candidates' innovative use of all forms of cybercommunication transformed electoral politics forever. Even before 2008, bloggers who posted video and audio links influenced campaign results, as George Allen learned when his use of a racial epithet at a Virginia campaign stop--recorded and posted online--probably cost him that state's Senate seat in 2006.

Bloggers have made an enormous improvement in the amount and accuracy of information available to the electorate. The ranks of bloggers comprise many of today's savviest and most eloquent writers on electoral politics. It's impossible to think of elections now without, say, pre-YouTube Internet video pioneer John Amato of Crooks & Liars, pollster Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight.com, the communities posting at firedoglake, DailyKos, TalkingPointsMemo, ThinkProgress, and Boehlert's own base at the media watchdog site, Media Matters, to name only a few.

The sheer luxury of space that bloggers enjoy allows their postings to include much more information than in traditional print journalism. Though both media allow embedding links, and to some extent allow readers to comment, bloggers are freer of the space restrictions of newspaper and television coverage, allowing them to include a seemingly limitless amount of detail for anyone to access.

For example, before late August 2008, to non-Alaskans Governor Sarah Palin was known primarily to policy wonks (like me) who were following "Troopergate" and her other ethical irregularities. Once Palin was named John McCain's running mate, readers who wanted to know more--much more--about her encountered bloggers who bore unfamiliar names, such as Shannyn Moore and Andrew Halcro, and sites including The Mudflats, Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis, The Immoral Minority, and PalinDeception, just to name a few. Worth the price of this book alone is "Saradise Lost," Boehlert's chapter on the tireless Alaskan bloggers who detailed the unlacquered history of McCain's surprise choice of running mate.

Boehlert may be among the first to document the enormous impact of the Internet on political reporting, but he certainly won't be the last. This book deserves a wide readership, no matter where your political loyalties lie.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inside baseball, June 15, 2009

By 

R. Smith (Lummi Island, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press (Hardcover)

I've been reading the blogs for about ten years now. Have been reading some of them like Glenn Greewald since almost the beginning. This book has a lot of satisfying"inside baseball." For an avid blog reader it's a must. Boehlert provided lots of background on bloggers I take for granted. Good info on all my favorites. I think it would also be interesting for a non (political) blog reader. Boehlert is an engaging writer who tells the story of how progressive/liberal/left wing blogs came to prominence to rival right wing talk radio and significantly affected the 2004 and 2008 elections. There are many interesting stories in the book. One of the most interesting tells how local bloggers vetted Sarah Palin for the rest of the country. Highly recommend.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite a Compelling Look Inside the Netroots Revolution, May 19, 2009

By 

Karl Frisch (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bloggers on the Bus: How the Internet Changed Politics and the Press (Hardcover)

I congratulate Eric Boehlert on the release of this book and must let everyone know that it's an excellent read. I'm about half way through it and have to say it's quite a compelling look inside the netroots revolution. If you enjoyed Boehlert's last book, Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush, you'll love his latest.

http://mediamatters.org/getonthebus