A freshman Colorado congressman who claimed the blogosphere contributed to the recent demise of a Denver newspaper was quick to apologize for his bone-headed gaffe.
At a convention of bloggers in Colorado, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis posed and answered his own question: "Who killed the Rocky Mountain News?" which closed last week.
"We're all part of it, for better or worse, and I argue it's mostly for the better. . . . The media is dead, and long live the new media," Polis said.
Polis, 33, is an Internet entrepreneur wunderkind who made millions selling greeting cards and flowers online. So maybe he's not into the printed word - unless it appears on a tiny floral arrangement card.
But Polis struck a clueless and arrogant note - which means he probably has a bright political future. For all the jibes thrown at the mainstream media, it's pretty much beyond dispute that the blogosphere thrives on reporting generated by major media outlets. Whatever antipathy bloggers may feel toward print media, it's rare to find someone who believes that fewer newspapers would be good for democracy.
Once Polis was called out for his comments, he quickly offered a classic politician's nonapology to "anyone who was offended." He said he didn't intend to "show anything less than a strong sense of remorse for the loss of the Rocky," as the 150-year-old newspaper was known.
Fortunately, Colorado's largest surviving daily, the Denver Post, was still around to report the congressman's ridiculous remarks. Mike Littwin, a Post columnist just hired from the Rocky, said Polis had "absolutely nothing to do" with the paper's demise. "He took his best shot," Littwin wrote. "But I'd say all he hit was his foot."
