Roger L. Simon

October 27th, 2005 12:08 pm

The Silicon Insider evaluates Pajamas

In reaction to my speech last night at the conference Media, Communications & Technology in the Age of the Blogger, Michael S. Malone - ABC’s Silicon Insider - writes about Pajamas Media and his predictions for our future.

As for the identity of the keynote speaker at our launch… go here. We don’t know yet whether she will be taking questions.

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15 Comments

1. Syl:

Wow! Nice article by Malone. What an adventure you’re on! Wait. Ad Venture. Of course, it’s so much more than that (I shouldn’t be frivolous about this) and I expect PJMedia (or whatever it is named) marks a significant and giant leap in the maturation of the blogosphere–and, perhaps, a bit of humility in the MSM.

We all do need each other.

And I’m thrilled at who you got for your keynote speaker! Someone caught in the turmoil of the head of the MSM pack. Perfect. And, damn, I admire that woman.

Oct 27, 2005 - 1:11 pm 2. Silicon valley Jim:

But will she be wearing pajamas?

Oct 27, 2005 - 1:47 pm 3. Peg C.:

I guess there’s something wrong with me but the face means nothing. Any other clues?

Oct 27, 2005 - 2:07 pm 4. Pat Curley:

Peg, look at the URL.

In other news, Iran’s president has threatened to wipe Israel off the map, which has “raised concerns” about their efforts to obtain nuclear capability…

Oct 27, 2005 - 3:00 pm 5. AlanC:

Roger,

Is there any particular old media organization that she’s going to mention?

I doubt that she’d drop any bombshells, but, after all, why else is she a celebrity? At the very least I hope she says something about the move to license reporters.

Oct 27, 2005 - 3:30 pm 6. dougf:

I am looking forward to the launch of this venture.

It has become so bad now that I virtually never read any of the information not presented or highlighted by blogs. I just don’t TRUST the sources. And I don’t believe that it is my fault.

If the NYTs says it’s cloudy; I have to look outside. It’s reflexive.

How sad that a citizen feels that he/she cannot trust the information required in order to be a ‘real’ citizen.

I hope that Judy lets it all hang out. What does she have to lose at this point, having been excommunicated from the one true faith and cast into the outer darkness to live with the rest of we trolls. Looking forward to the reviews of her speech as well.

Oct 27, 2005 - 4:46 pm 7. Maggie:

Excellent article. This guy Malone gets it. You guys are something! This is so exciting. Can’t wait to hear what Judy has to say. What aggravates me most about the MSM, especially the NYTimes, is just how ARROGANT they are. I LOVED Podhoretz’s article on them.

Oct 27, 2005 - 5:57 pm 8. Richard Bennett:

Malone’s article struck me as fairly bizarre. He begins by speculating that PJ Media will be just a more diverse version of Huffington Post, breaks off into an extended book report that didn’t connect to the story line, and then seems to remember he was supposed to be saying something about blogs so he throws in some pablum about heroes that made no sense.

It’s going to be interesting for those of us on the outside to see if PJ Media can live up to the hype.

Oct 27, 2005 - 6:58 pm 9. Patrick Tyson:

I remember liking Malone’s show and columns way back when. The comparison of bloggers to Xenophon’s Ten Thousand is, to say the least, far-fetched. Actually it is, in my opinion, nonsense, but I was reminded of something else in Anabasis and (what luck!) there are a couple of translations on-line.

What I was reminded of is Xenophon’s entrance into the story and the advice he gets from Socrates when he asks if he should accept the invitation to join the expedition. Socrates sends him to Delphi.

Xenophon went and put the question to Apollo, to which of the gods he must pray and do sacrifice, so that he might best accomplish his intended journey and return in safety, with good fortune. Then Apollo answered him: “To such and such gods must thou do sacrifice,” and when he had returned home he reported to Socrates the oracle. But he, when he heard, blamed Xenophon that he had not, in the first instance, inquired of the god, whether it were better for him to go or to stay, but had taken on himself to settle that point affirmatively, by inquiring straightway, how he might best perform the journey. “Since, however,” continued Socrates, “you did so put the question, you should do what the god enjoined.” Thus, and without further ado, Xenophon offered sacrifice to those whom the god had named, and set sail on his voyage.

Again, best of luck, Roger. Here’s hoping that your expedition in no significant way resembles that of Xenophon and the Ten Thousand. Of course, if it does, you’ll be left with, if nothing else, a great story.

Oct 27, 2005 - 11:26 pm 10. AlanC:

I agree with Richard on the article. I found it so disjointed that I had to check and make sure the pages were in order.

I still have no idea what he was trying to say. A long irrelevant descent into classical Greek literature always seems to me as the last resort of a poseur who has nothing much to say, but needs the filler.

Oct 28, 2005 - 6:03 am 11. In Vino Veritas:

Judith Miller?!? Please tell me Stephen Glass will warm the crowd up while Jayson Blair leads a town hall format discussion afterwards. Is that Janet Cooke I see?

Meet the new media, same as the old media.

Oct 28, 2005 - 7:07 am 12. SJ:

In Vino Veritas, have you ever read “God Has Ninety Nine Names” by Judith Miller? She’s a gutsy reporter who has been on the front lines reporting on terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism for decades. Whatever you think of her conduct in the Fitzgerald investigation, comparing her to a plagiarist and a pathological liar just makes you look snide and uninformed.

Oct 28, 2005 - 3:53 pm 13. tefta:

Miller the keynote speaker? This has to be a joke.

Oct 29, 2005 - 4:40 pm 14. jonathan:

hope the gods smile on pajamas media. it’s a great idea.

Oct 30, 2005 - 11:17 am 15. Jay Rosen:

And why wouldn’t she be taking questions? Think about it. Can you come up with a reason that washes? And if a figure in the news speaks at your event but won’t take questions, is that cool with Pajamas, or whatever the new ID is?

I think it’s a great idea to have her speak. It’s perfect for a launch party, too, so kudos, Roger. I think you would be fools to let her scam you with a “no questions” policy.

For example, some bloggers might want to know if Judith Miller, who will be touring the country in support of a national shield law, thinks that law should include bloggers in its umbrella of protections. (I don’t know what her answer would be, but if I were to speculate I would speculate that her answer is: no, sorry, no bloggers.)

She should speak, and take questions, and make news.

Oct 30, 2005 - 7:17 pm

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