LATEST SPOTLIGHT
3/30: Coffey Clutch
Today the Blogometer talks to Mark Coffey, who writes Decision '08.
What is your full name?
Mark Alan Coffey.
What is your age?
37.
Where did you grow up?
Lamesa, TX -- midway between Lubbock and Midland.
Where do you live now?
Austin, TX -- a very blue city in a very red state.
What is your occupation?
Analyst.
Have you ever worked on a political campaign or for the mainstream media?
No -- though I did run for the student council years ago (and won!).
When did you start blogging and why?
I started blogging, oddly enough, after the 2004 election, thus missing the biggest traffic period. I was reading all the blogs, e-mailing friends and relatives relevant news stories, and generally doing everything but putting the content on the web. When I hit on the idea of getting an early jump on 2008, my mind was made up, and I went live on November 21st, 2004.
What has been your favorite post, or favorite story to write about, in that time?
Lately, I've been on a campaign to rename the Netroots as the Nutroots (r), but with limited success (it's not that my audience is not big enough - oh, no! Rather, like Spinal Tap, my appeal is very selective). My formation of the Coalition of the Chilling was much more successful - I was able to convince a number of prominent bloggers to joing me in decrying the harsh rhetoric that greeted the Gang of 14 Deal (a deal that has worked out remarkably well for Republicans, I might add).
Describe your typical blogging schedule. And what is your average output?
I blog on and off pretty much all day, everyday ... I enjoy it and I need to build up my audience.
And what is your average output?
I'd say probably about 7 or 8 posts a day.
Who is your favorite political blogger? Favorite non-political blogger?
Tom Maguire of JustOneMinute, hands down. A true blogger, through and through (honorable mentions to Tim Blair and Mickey Kaus). [For non-political:] Although both sometimes cover politics, amongst many other things, I really enjoy Be Be Re and NBR.
Who is your favorite mainstream media columnist?
Who is your favorite mainstream media columnist? Christopher Hitchens , without a doubt (I know I'm stretching a bit, but he is a columnist for Slate and Vanity Fair, as well as the AtlanticMonthly ).
What is your favorite television news program, either network or cable?
I like the occasional hour-long specials, like CNN Presents, but I can't abide the soundbite nature of regular news on television.
What MSM-produced websites (i.e. newspapers, magazines) do you visit on a daily basis?
The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.
What non-MSM websites (i.e. blogs) do you visit on a daily basis?
Besides the previously mentioned blogs, I always visit Memeorandum, Real Clear Politics, and Pajamas Media (with whom I am affiliated). I also visit the Huffington Post and Daily Kos for the entertainment value and to keep up with what's hot among the lefties.
How often, or do you ever, read a newspaper in its dead-tree (i.e. print) form?
I rarely purchase a newspaper ... but if I do, it's the Wall Street Journal.
How do you see the new media and old media affecting and influencing each other in the next five years?
Too many people see the world of media through the prism of blogs vs. MSM. The reality is that the two are complementary; the MSM, with its large budgets and professional journalists, can cover the world in a way that most bloggers, who are local by nature, can't (although all those local bloggers collectively cover the globe, as well). Bloggers can react quickly to breaking news, however, and can engage in dialogue with an immediacy that can't be matched by television or print. The reality is we are one huge disfunctional family.
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