Reflections on Indy Media's Role in 2008 Election

Regardless of who one voted for (or voted at all, for that matter), the 2008 Presidential Election was groundbreaking on multiple levels. As discussed in "Big Election Winner: Indy Media" on CommonDreams.org, certainly the media's role in this election--and in particular, independent media--saw its role change like never before. By this time in history, the Internet was more than just a tool but an extension of American life and day-to-day socializing, and, thus, independent pundits and writers had much easier access than ever before.

However, for me, and in reflecting on this article, I think the biggest thing the media can (and should) take away from the 2008 Presidential Election and the events that have followed it is that "the" media, is no longer the only media--and by that I'm not just talking about the mainstream media. Journalists like Glenn Greenwald were just guys sitting on their couches on many accounts the first time John McCain ran for president in 2000. So, what changed? Once again: the power of the Internet. But, this time, when discussing the ability of the Internet, I'm talking about how Joe the Plumber can go from bum-on-the-street to household name to, better yet, online talk-show host if he really had wanted to. The Internet and accessibility to information and media has made everyone a journalist. Social media and the expansion of YouTube in particular are the biggest reasons behind this. Thus, it's not just the independent media who made a splash and saw an expanded role in 2008: it was anyone and everyone who ever wished to "report" on a ground breaking political event--and you best believe this role is only going to continue to expand in the coming years.

I absolutely applaud independent media outlets that took advantage of these new opportunities in 2008, uncovering dirt about both candidates and ethically reporting on it often, as in the case of the Huffington Post, regardless of which candidate they may or may not have supported. However, muckraking is not a new art form, especially when it comes to presidential elections (see yellow journalism in the late, 19th century). Being able to tweet a report and get retweeted thousands of times regardless of who you are or who you are affiliated with? That's groundbreaking stuff.

Thus, while I certainly appreciate the work of these indy media bloggers during the 2008 Election, I'd like to give even more credit to their counterparts, the creators of blog generators and social media networks. For it was through the work of these individuals that everyone was given a voice.

(on a quick side note: I would have loved to have seen further statistics about how independent media influenced the roles of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin during this election, as well as the various other, governmental elections--i.e. Meg Whitman--that occurred in 2008. I read a book, "Notes From the Cracked Ceiling" a few years back that focuses on how the media basically, for lack of a better term, screwed most of these women from the get-go, and would be interested to get an independent media take on it!).