You are a newsmaker. You publish a well-respected diary on the important netroots site Daily Kos. (Never mind that the "respect" comes from a handful of subscribers and a roomy tip jar.) Hey, you're here, you're commenting, that makes you a person "in the news", somebody who counts, somebody with a story that "goes behind the scenes" - no, really. Really.
Read on to see why.
So, maybe your "column" isn't picked up yet by a couple of hundred, or dozen, or, er, couple, news outlets. You're putting it out there, you're getting your name out, you're making the news by virtue of having an opinion on it, right? Well? Wellllll... if we are to take seriously the new Google feature, "Comments by People in the News", you just might be.
Comment about this story
Comment by Cliff Kincaid, President, America’s Survival, Inc
What they didn’t tell us about Daschle - 5 hours ago
The issue with Tom Daschle goes beyond his tax cheating and multi-millionaire status. He was on record in favor of a Federal Reserve-style national health ...
In a breathtaking lowering of standards, Google has opened up its popular "News" feature (scare quotes intended) to comments by self-proclaimed "people in the news." Google describes their feature as follows:
What is "Comments by People in the News?"
Comments give people related to a news story the chance to directly respond to it. We think this feature gives readers greater depth and context to the news. Comments provide a unique insight because they come from individuals who are somehow involved in a story, but who may not have had the opportunity to share their full knowledge of the situation.
Comments vs. other types of content
Comments by People in the News are distinct from other types of content you might find on the Web:
[...]
Comments are not blog posts. Comments in Google News always pertain to a particular story and are displayed alongside the rest of the story coverage. They're written by someone either involved in the story or affiliated with an organization mentioned in the story. On the other hand, anyone can write a blog about anything. Although the "blogosphere" plays an important role in online news, Google News will offer only comments written by a person who plays a key role in the story.
[...]
Comments by People in the News are exclusive to Google News, and are written specifically by the individuals who have been mentioned (or who are affiliated with an organization that was mentioned) in the news coverage of a story.
So, what is the the hot news story about America's Survival and its executive that seems to have been overlooked by the popular press?
...crickets ...
Well, he does write a column. The column appears on news sites, mostly right-wing ones. Ergo, "in the news."
... Light bulb!
I wonder what would happen if our fellow Kossacks were to use their newsmaking status to submit similar but opposite comments, as they are also, by that same stretch of imagination, "in the news"? Weren't we Time Magazine's "person of the year" or something, or part of it, um, whenever that was again?
Better jump on this fast, before Google figures out the potential for abusedirect democracy.