I did a quick Google news search of Justice Sunday III being held in Philadelphia today and I noticed it is not getting the media attention previous Justice Sunday’s have received.
Don’t misunderstand me, I believe these events should be up front and center and covered. I believe the agenda, the organizations, the speakers and the bloggers paid to cover should be out in the open. I believe (as I did when Ralph Reed spoke in Toronto recently) that it is prudent to pay attention.
I believe paying attention is prudent when faith and politics are mixed to the point lines are blurred, or even less blurred as they are for something like this - staged political events filled with religious language and put out in various media streams. (SkyAngel, radio, publications, internet) I think people are wise to pay attention and sort it out for themselves. JSIII may receive some attention as protesters gather, hard to say. I think it’s a plus when bloggers pay attention, attend if possible and disclose payment if received.
This is held by The Family Research Council, the lobby arm of Focus on the Family. It appears the basic idea is to encourage churched people to support the Republican government’s nominations for the US Supreme Court. The bloggers covering today’s event are Republican evangelicals with the exception of RightWingSparkle who bills herself as Republican pro-life Catholic.
Correction: Ed Morissey is also Catholic, so this bloggers row is represented by two evangelicals and two Catholics. My mistake and I appreciate it being pointed out.
I remain curious about the bloggers that get invited to attend. Justice Sunday II had a bigger blogger line up than this one. It may be location. It may a lot of things. Today, four bloggers are at at a Philadelphia church, listening to and blogging about the following people who occupy the stage.
I have the same question I did for the last group.
Are you willing to disclose what you were paid in expenses to attend this event?
For Justice Sunday II there were 11 bloggers. Six of the 11 acknowledged payment from the lobby group. Joe Carter of the Evangelical Outpost on his participation:
”I do think, though, that bloggers should fully disclose financial arrangements even if they aren’t held to the same standards (or in the same esteem) as MSM journalists. So in the interest of full disclosure, here is what expenses have been paid on my behalf: One airline ticket on Southwest Airlines (peanuts and Diet Coke included) (approximate value: $187); two nights lodging at the Radisson Hotel (est. value: $150); a chicken-fried steak dinner at Cracker Barrel ($7.95 plus tip).”
Today’s Blogger’s Row
Ed Morrisey of The Captain’s Quarters. Morrisey is best known to Canadians for blogging his information on The Gomery Inquiry when there was a publication ban up north.
His numerous posts on Justice Sunday II seem to show The Family Research Council got fair bang for their buck. A Technorati look indicates 2,849 inbound links, and his blog receives 29,340 average visits a day.
Stacey Harp of Mind and Media. According to Technorati her blog is linked by 199 others and she receives an average of 102 hits a day which is a bit higher than most god-blogs.
Right Wing Sparkle has been blogging since August 2004. According to Technorati, there are 294 inbound links. Site traffic is not available.
LaShawn Barber is best known as member of Pajamas Media and is a professional blogger. A Technorati search indicates 1,872 inbound links. Traffic stats are not available.
Charmaine Yoest is an employee of the Family Research Council, her attendence is not noted officially with today’s bloggers. According to Technorati, the blog has 14 inbound links. Traffic stats are not available.
At the time of this post, Justice Sunday III is not tagged at Technorati, a search shows a considerably smaller blend of pro and con posts than previous Justice Sundays.
Why are participating paid bloggers Republican?
Why the drop in blogger participation?
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“Why the drop in blogger participation?”
(1) Because the battle for the Supreme Court nominees has been all but won; Roberts is safely on the court and Alito is all-but-asured of a spot.
(2) Philly is not as centrally located as Louisville, the location for the JSII that featured Joe Carter and company.
“Why are participating paid bloggers Republican?”
Republicans are the target audience; bringing liberal-leaning bloggers would most likely juice up the left. It’s possible that a visiting liberal might see the folks there are real people, not vile ideologues, but I’d tend to invision a less-than-friendly anthropoligical piece not unlike Jeff Shalett’s visit to Ted Haggart’s Colorado Springs church.
There also seems to be a bit more of a partisan tinge to this batch. Barber and the Captain are a notch more bellacose than the crew from JSII.
The bloggers covering today’s event are Republican evangelicals with the exception of RightWingSparkle who bills herself as Republican pro-life Catholic.
Actually, Ed Morrissey is a Catholic too.
Why are participating paid bloggers Republican?
From what I’ve heard (and from past experience), FRC invites to pay the way for left-leaning bloggers to attend the event. Dr. Yoest, the event’s coordinator, asked me last time to recommend liberal bloggers to invite.
The problem is that most bloggers simply don’t have the time to drop what they are doing to fly across the country for a short weekend. I have a fairly flexible employer and it was still difficult for me to attend JSII. I can imagine how difficult it would be for people with normal jobs and work schedules.
I did a braino on my first post. JSII was in Nashville, not Louisville; I was going from memory, which failed me. It’s still better located than Philadelphia, which is both on the east coast and in “blue state” territory.
Are you saying there are no evangelical Catholics?
I use the word evangelical using this set of beliefs.
http://www.eauk.org/contentmanager/Content/aboutthealliance/missionandbof.cfm
So am I’m incorrect? Catholics can’t be evangelical? But I was correct on the bloggers attending being Republican? I do very much understand Catholics can be Republican. Can a Catholic be a Democrat?
Mark: I’m failing to understand the fear or mistrust that liberal leaning (Democat?) bloggers would perceive folks as vile ideologues. Are you saying Democrats can’t be evangelical and behave as Christ would call them to? are you saying Democrats cannot be mature evangelicals?
It’s bedtime for bonzo here and I’m falling asleep over the keyboard.
I’m asking because having interviewed hundreds of Canadian politicans I know committed followers of Jesus Christ exist in every party in this country.
Joe: Do you know what ‘left wing’ bloggers were asked? Do you know why they didn’t come? Was it because of the reasons you stated - work and schedules? Or do you know if there were other reasons?
And Mark - sorry, what does juice up the left mean?
Are you saying there are no evangelical Catholics? I use the word evangelical using this set of beliefs.
No, I think that a Catholic can be an evangelical (though I’m not sure they would necessarily subscribe to the beliefs listed in the link you provided. I was merely pointing out that since you mentioned that all of the bloggers were “Republican evangelicals with Republican evangelicals with the exception…[a] Republican pro-life Catholic” that there was at least one other Catholic in attendance.
Also, while Ed is a Catholic I don’t think he’d consider himself an “evangelical Catholic.”
Can a Catholic be a Democrat?
Historically speaking (at least prior to the Reagan era), Catholics have tended to vote for Democrats rather than Republicans.
Are you saying Democrats can’t be evangelical and behave as Christ would call them to? are you saying Democrats cannot be mature evangelicals?
While I can’t speak for Mark, what I think he means when he refers to “target audience” is socially conservative, pro-life voters. I certainly wouldn’t say that a Democrat can’t be a mature evangelical. But I’m just not sure how they can support a party that focuses on abortion and homosexual marriage and “behave as Christ called them to.”
Or do you know if there were other reasons?
No, I really don’t know what the reasons are. But since they could only round-up four Republicans out of thousands of conservative bloggers it’s probably not too surprising that they couldn’t find anyone from the left to attend.
Okay Joe thanks. I appreciate the information and the civil response. I’ll correct the post accordingly.
Just for info, FRC did invite some Democrat bloggers. Lefttalk being one, but Jeryln (sp?) has an ill mother to take care of.
I don’t mind disclosing what FRC paid for. No one has asked. They paid for my plane and hotel. They told me that I could blog whatever I wished though.
Although I am sure one can tell from my blog that I am a conservative Republican, I was not familiar with FRC or Justice Sunday before.
The ethics issue came up after the last blogger row with the Family Research Council. No doubt it will come up at the next one.:^)
Thank you for your disclosure.
I think honesty and transparency benefits bloggers and the organizations they accept any form of payment from.