The era of liberal media domination is officially over

And no one could say it better than the Wall Street Journal:

However the flap over CBS and those National Guard “memos” turns out, the past few weeks mark a milestone in U.S. media and politics. Along with the Swift Boat Veterans’ ads, the widespread challenge to Dan Rather’s reporting–to his credibility–means that the liberal media establishment has ceased to set the U.S. political agenda.

This is potentially a big cultural moment. For decades liberal media elites were able to define current debates by all kicking in the same direction, like the Rockettes. Now and then they can still pull this off, as when they all repeated the same Pentagon-promoted-torture line during the Abu Ghraib uproar. But the last month has widened cracks in that media monopoly that have been developing for some time.

Twenty years ago, those who sought a different point of view had few alternatives beyond The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page and small magazines like National Review and The American Spectator. But in 1987 the Reagan Administration abolished the so-called Fairness Doctrine, whose main effect had been to stifle controversy on the airwaves by threatening stations with the obligation to provide equal time. The result was an explosion in political talk radio, led by Rush Limbaugh, who filled an unmet demand for right-leaning commentary.

Then, in 1996, Rupert Murdoch launched Fox News Channel, providing a “fair and balanced” alternative to CNN and the broadcast networks. By 2001 Fox had surpassed its competitors to become the top-rated cable news channel. And in the past few years, the “blogosphere” has allowed a million flowers to bloom. Anyone with a computer can start a Web log and become a pundit, and the smartest and most enterprising have developed loyal followings.

Thanks to these developments, the blue-state media elites no longer control America’s political debate. Just in the past year, California voters elected Arnold Schwarzenegger despite election-eve groping charges trumpeted in the Los Angeles Times. A public outcry prompted CBS to cancel a mendacious miniseries about Ronald and Nancy Reagan. And the mainstream media were dragged kicking and screaming into covering the Swift Boat Veterans’ accusations against John Kerry. Even in South Dakota, bloggers and the Web have challenged the dominance that Tom Daschle’s pals at the Argus Leader have long had on that state’s political dialogue.

Can I get a “hell yeah”??

Also: Add CNN to the growing list of news outlets acknowledging the power of the blogosphere.

PS: Hey Dan and CBS, might wanna watch out for this 😛