February 09, 2006
BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: DavidNYC State Of Mind
Today the Blogometer talks to DavidNYC, founder of the pro-Dem blog Swing State Project and a former front-page contributor to Daily Kos.
What is your full name?
I go by DavidNYC online.
What is your age?
28
Where did you grow up?
Believe it or not, New York City.
Where do you live now?
Washington, DC -- but headed back to NYC in May.
What is your occupation? Have you ever worked on a political campaign or for the mainstream media?
I'm a law student (soon to be an attorney, hopefully). I've worked on campaigns for Eliot Spitzer (twice) and Howard Dean. The closest I ever got to joining the mainstream media was taking classified ads for a local Long Island paper when I was a teenager.
When did you start blogging and why?
I created the Swing State Project in October of 2003. At the time, most people were focusing on the Democratic primaries. I said to myself, "We're going to have a nominee no matter what. What I want to know is, how will that guy -- whoever he is -- beat George Bush?" So I developed the SSP to look at the key swing states in the 2004 election. After the election, I started focusing on key races up and down the ballot throughout the country.
During 2005, I was also a front-page contributing editor at Daily Kos.
What has been your favorite post, or favorite story to write about, in that time?
In March of 2005, I wrote a post called "Let's Take This Open Seat on a Trial Run" at Daily Kos. Ohio's 2nd CD is incredibly conservative, but I thought, this is the perfect opportunity for Democrats to do some political R&D. In other words, when your odds of winning are so small, you can afford to take risks, experiment, be aggressive. Fortunately, we wound up with a fearless candidate (Paul Hackett) who was willing to do just that, and we came a lot closer to winning than I ever would have imagined. I had a lot of fun covering that race, both at Kos and the SSP.
Describe your typical blogging schedule. And what is your average output?
Being a student, I tend to have a fair amount of time between classes, which is when I usually write. I also write in the evenings at home. I try to put up at least one new post a day. Sometimes, when the muse strikes, I might write half a dozen or more.
Who is your favorite political blogger? Favorite non-political blogger?
Political: Billmon is the best pure writer out there. Though I often disagree with him sharply, I am always impressed with his intellect. Non-Political: Steve of The Sneeze. Totally hilarious!
Who is your favorite mainstream media columnist?
Paul Krugman, for sure -- but I read him much less frequently now that the NYT has put him behind a subscription firewall.
What is your favorite television news program, either network or cable?
The only TV news I ever watch is NY1, a 24-hour local news channel in NYC. They put almost all other TV news to shame, despite being a local outfit. Pat Kiernan's "In the Papers" in the morning is the greatest!
What MSM-produced websites (i.e. newspapers, magazines) do you visit on a daily basis?
Mainly the NY Times &WSJ 's free content.
What non-MSM websites (i.e. blogs) do you visit on a daily basis?
Rather than mention all the big names, some of the smaller blogs I visit regularly are the Bluegrass Report, Dump Mike, Say No to Pombo and Take 19. I'm a big fan of local and especially single-district blogs. District Blogs is a great blog aggregator for the latter.
How often, or do you ever, read a newspaper in its dead-tree (i.e. print) form?
Very seldom, apart from (sadly) the freebie rag they hand out on the Metro.
How do you see the new media and old media affecting and influencing each other in the next five years?
In the traditional media, you have outlets like the New York Times and outlets like the New York Post. One is reputable, the other isn't, and everyone's figured out which is which by now. The same is true of the blogging world: You have Times-style blogs and Post-style blogs. Most bloggers try to verify what they post; some peddle in rumor. Most blogs are run by honest folks; some are run by paid shills.
My biggest concern, though, is that the traditional media will fail to distinguish between the two. I think we saw this happen in 2004 in South Dakota, where bloggers who were on campaign payrolls were wrongly treated as independent sources. When a story appears to originate in the blogosphere, traditional media reporters need to ask, "Is the source reputable? Is it a Times or a Post?" And if you can't answer in the affirmative, then pass on the story. This isn't always an easy question to answer, but one good place to start is the list of past winners of the Koufax Awards.
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