Several left wing blogs are staging a mini-revolt by complaining about the lack of advertising support from like minded groups.

From the Politico

As somebody who has more than a passing interest in the economics of blogging, the revolt today by authors of some top liberal blogs —  Daily Kos, FireDogLake and AMERICAblog — is quite interesting:

Some of the leading liberal bloggers are privately furious with the major progressive groups — and in some cases, the Democratic Party committees — for failing to spend money advertising on their sites, even as these groups constantly ask the bloggers for free assistance in driving their message.

They’re basically asking their comrades in arms on the left to start buying ads and stop relying solely on ideological solidarity.

(Quips John Aravosis:”There is the perception on the right that all of the top liberal blogs are funded by George Soros. I wish.”)

This is, ultimately, a step toward normalcy and permanence in the blogosphere, and is being mirrored across the Internet, from parenting lists to neighborhood blogs, as labors of love become institutions.

But it’s also a reminder of the fact that independent bloggers don’t have the luxury of an ad sales department that keeps writers at places like The New York Times and POLITICO blissfully insulated from the wishes and agendas of advertisers.

Because while I’m all for bloggers on both sides getting paid, the unspoken flipside of the story is that the writers are intensely aware of who is and isn’t buying ads.

Is this the left wing blogs version of “pay to play”?  I doubt that the blogs will stop cooperating with or covering issues related to the groups they are complaining about not spending ad dollars on their sites, but it does leave open the question of whether or not these groups will receive as much favorbale coverage as they have in the past without some type of reciprocation.

 

 

 

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author