Today, I had my first-ever column under my byline published in my local newspaper. I credit the ability to write clearly, articulate my thoughts, and actually have the needed facts at hand, to this incredible community.
I first discovered this community back during Governor Howard Dean's primary campaign. After lurking for a while, I took the (to me) incredibly bold action of creating an account. Then I posted my first comment - scary stuff. I was sure hundreds of other commenter’s would be jumping down my throat ridiculing me right off the web.
But that didn't happen. In fact, a few commenters’s actually agreed with me. Now charged, I started making regular comments. Sometimes other folks disagreed with me, but the comments were always constructive. I started gaining confidence in expressing myself online. Then I took the great leap forward and posted my first ever diary.
Thankfully, my first diary appears to be lost in cyberspace. But it was a big step for me, and the comments helped me sharpen my thoughts and writing.
I started posting diaries on a weekly basis. Honestly, a lot of those early diaries were fluff, but it was writing practice. Then I was rewarded with my first ever "Recommended," a post about the way Bush was wrecking our military. I was on Cloud Nine for a week after!
Some folks may remember my posts following Hurricane Katrina. My first two post-Katrina diaries made the recommended list. I'm not sure whether Dkossians realize just how much of a boost that gave me. It wasn't seeing my name up on top that gave me the boost. Knowing that people out in the rest of the world actually cared about what was happening in my community was about the strongest emotional support I received anywhere during those first few terrible months after the storm.
I haven't written many diaries this past year. It's been a stressful time with moving across country, taking a new job, getting settled into a new community. But the practice from wring my diaries and comments gave me the self-confidence to take on local wing-nut columnists.
After we settled into our northern Virginia community, I made a habit of regularly reading our local newspaper "The Potomac News." I was shocked and even horrified at the viciousness of the LTEs and regular local columnists against anything "Liberal." I decided something needed to be done, so it might as well be me doing it.
I wrote several LTEs as rebuttals to local columnists before my first one was published. As with my first "Recommended" diary, I was on Cloud Nine for a week after my first published LTE. I quickly made a habit of writing at least one LTE rebuttal to columnists each month. Interestingly enough, my LTEs got published most of the time. I ended up with one LTE published each month since last August. As part of regular writing, I established a correspondence with the Editorial Page Editor, Alex Granados, making sure to thank him for publishing my work.
I also started e-mailing directly to the columnists. While always respectful of them, I was typically pretty negative on their writing. I was mostly ignored.
Back on January 4, columnist Ken Concannon wrote his column "The China question" on the right-wing conspiracy nonsense referred to as "Chinagate." Citing Newsmax.com as his authoritative reference ticked me off even worse than seeing his Clinton-bashing fantasy printed without a pushback. I e-mailed him with:
Ken,
The first give-away that today's column lacked any serious value was citing Newsmax as your source of information. From there, it was all downhill.
Considering that Sen. Clinton got a drubbing last night, and is now on track to not get the Democratic Nomination, Inquiring Minds Want to Know: What are you going to do for entertainment once the Clintons are no longer available to kick around?
I didn't expect him to reply, but I also didn't expect what did result. In his next column of Jan 11, "The sources of controversy", he published my e-mail (without my name). He expended 600+ words mocking me as a "Liberon," explaining just how much effort he put into research, and bashing "Liberals" in general.
I was pissed. I also believe that the answer to speech is more speech, so I e-mailed the editor, Alex. I explained I was the "Liberon," and requested equal time to rebut Concannon. The editor graciously agreed and allowed me 750 - 800 words.
In writing my column I received a boost from one of my favorite DKos diarists, Teacherken. I asked him to critique an early draft, and his generous reply really helped me focus on what was important and sharpen my writing.
My first-ever column with my byline was published this morning, "Liberon speaks out". It’s not a big deal in the great world scheme of columnists and newspaper writing. It’s just a bit of pushback to a loud-mouthed jerk with newspaper real estate, thinking he could get away with writing any amount of crap and ridiculing people who criticized him without a penalty. But I’d like to think my column today will make a small difference in the tone and content of local writing.
I own a big thanks to Editor Alex Granados for being an honest journalist willing to publish opposing viewpoints. I owe a big thanks to columnist Ken Concannon also - without his help I couldn't have gotten this editorial space.
But above all, I owe a big thanks to this online community. Writing here gave me the confidence to venture out in the big world and take on wingnuttia.