Under the guise of ‘investigative journalism,’ Josh Marshall and Nick Confessore bring you something special-a 293 word and a 4,253 word circumstantial argument ad hominem.
Impressive. To spare you the grief of reading the pieces- a PR firm, which specializes in astrotruf, publishes Tech Central Station. The PR firm takes money from evil corporations, and the ideological bend of Tech Central Station is such that it often is supportive of many of the causes of those who pay for advertising. Which means that Josh doesn’t like their viewpoints, is too lazy to attack the arguments individually, and would rather just smear the whole publication.
Why does this guy get so much respect? Does anyone here care where Josh Marshall makes his money? The NY Times? The National Review? Tech Central Station? The Weekly Standard? The Nation?
Well- I guess Josh and Nick do.
*** Update ***
The Instapundit comments.
JC
Using Ad Hominem smears against these guys while simultaneously characterizing their writings as Ad Hominem attacks is truly brilliant.
Continue! It’s the sign of someone who has a rock solid argument.
John Cole
Name the ad hominem attack I have made against them. Perhaps trying to find the motivation behind their ad hominem (too lazy to attack the arguments individually, and would rather just smear the whole publication).
And asking why he gets so much respect is a valid question- too date, he has been wrong about EVERYTHING he has written regarding North Korea, so far as being completely incapable of even providing and accurate history of the agreed framework.
Furthermore, asking if anyone cares where he gets his money is not an ad hominem, either. It is simply a device used to point out that where he earns his money is irrelevant- what I have an issue with are his windy and far too often inaccurate ‘facts.’
So, again- where be the ad hominem?
JC
Hmmm. A firm that makes it’s money off of actually manufacturing faux grass roots support. Hmmm. Yea, you’re right. That really would have nothing to do with a publication dedicated to getting out a particular viewpoint. It’s really just a coincidence.
Sorry to have bothered you.
John Cole
Wow- I am breathless with how you ignore the argument at hand. I don;t care where the money comes from- I will make my judgement on the issue discussed in each individual argument presented by Tech Central Station. I refuse to do what Josh Marshall wants, which is simply say “I refuse to trust anything from TCS because they take money from people who have an ageda.”
Simple minds.
Dean
JC, what magazines do you read? Do you believe what is in “The Nation” magazine? Who funds them? How about the New Republic? Who funds THEM? Commondreams.org? Alternet.org? Yellowtimes.org?
Or, do you, perhaps, possibly, read their material and decide, on your own, whether Peter Beinart and Eric Alterman make sense, whatever the funding source of “The Nation” or the New Republic?
Matthew Stinson
Jerry Seinfeld’s show is over, but after reading Mr. Confessore it seems like Seinfeld has inspired the invention of “journalism about nothing.” The most glaring omission in the article, in my opinion, is the failure to recognize that what makes TCS “new and different” isn’t the corporate sponsorship (Slate, anyone?) the fact that TCS regularly publishes bloggers and other freelance writers. I have to wonder if that’s the “threat” the Monthly is attacking under the guise of trying to smear Glassman.