Pajamas Media is now Open Source Media. The name change and some details of the venture were unveiled in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. I took the day off yesterday to go to it. I drove down to New Haven and caught the Metro North into Grand Central Station. It was a nice day and I walked over from the station.
The real highlight of the launch was a panel discussion on blogging and journalism moderated by Larry Kudlow. Panelists were David Corn of The Nation, Richard Fernandez who blogs as Wretchard the Cat at Belmont Club, John Podhoretz of the New York Post, and Claudia Rosset whose columns often appear on the Opinion Journal. If there's a transcript I'll try to get it. There were some pretty interesting points on the impact of technology on the news that I'd like to get into but I'll do it in another post.
There were other high spots. I got the opportunity to introduce myself to Glenn Reynolds. I met Martin Solomon, Cathy Seipp, and Boston University Professor Richard Landes, who is part of media watchdog SecondDraft.Org. Judith Miller, formerly of the New York Times, spoke about the need for a national shield law for reporters, and Senator John Cornyn of Texas joined via web cast for a some brief comments on the subject.
The launch included a cocktail party that I skipped. This meant missing out on the better opportunities to do some networking, but had I stayed for the cocktail party I wouldn't have gotten back home until 3:00am. As it was, I caught an afternoon train for New Haven and managed to get back home to Nashua by 8:00 in the evening where I dined on a sumptuous dinner of popcorn and wine.
As to Open Source Media itself, I'm underwhelmed, but that could change with a little time. I'll have more to say at a later date.
Afterthought: When I arrived back in New Haven, as I was going back to my car I suddenly realized I couldn't remember the way back to Interstate 91 to start the drive to New Hampshire. Between '92 and '98 I made that trip hundreds of times. This time as I got off the train and walked back to my car, I couldn't remember which way I was supposed to turn out of the parking lot. When I actually got there and pulled out into the street I could see the road signs, and it all came back as I knew it would. The reason I bring it up is to make the point that memories fail. Call it a Scooter Libby moment.
Memory may fail but integrity shouldn't.
Leaking the information, denying that you did it, and then lying about it by blaming it on someone -anyone - else. Now that's a Scooter Libby moment. And perhaps, in the near future, will be referenced as a Dick Cheney moment too.
Posted by: ny patriot | November 18, 2005 at 03:14 PM
It turns out somebody leaked first to Bob Woodward of the Washington Post, and whoever that somebody is, he went to talk to Fitzgerald about it. And it wasn't Libby or Rove. Speculation at JustOneMinute favors Richard Armitage. This could get very interesting. Use the blogroll on the left and go visit Minute Man.
Posted by: Tom Bowler | November 19, 2005 at 07:12 AM