He said he was trying to quit, but Iowahawk’s been dumpster diving again, in the alley behind Black Rock in Manhattan this time, and he’s come up with the first draft of today’s CBS News hit piece on blogs: Experts Tell CBS: Time to Clean Up the Blog Industry.

(CBS) By David P. Cone,
cbsnews.com chief political writer

In 1906, pioneering investigative reporter Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, documenting the squalid and filthy condition of the meatpacking industry in Chicago. Now, nearly a century later, another unregulated industry poses a potential health hazard to millions of unsuspecting American news consumers: Internet blogs.

Also known as “weblos” or “ternetbls,” these online publications began to appear on computer screens in early 2004, where they were first seen as an efficient way for ordinary citizens to share delicious dessert recipes and adorable pet photos. Instead, Internet blogs are increasingly being used for a darker purpose: to spread unregulated political opinions. Cleverly exploiting a loophole in the First Amendment, Internet blogs have gained many of the protections of legitimate media, such as newspapers and television. They are increasingly gaining influence.

Many are must-reads for political junkies, who openly cruise the unlit, trash-strewn alleyways of the Web, anxiously looking for a punditry “fix.” But is that vial of sweet political crack from Dr. Bloggood “stepped on” with dangerous campaign contaminants? In the nation’s hottest Senate race, this past year, the answer was yes.

Little over a month ago, the first Senate party leader in 52 years was ousted when South Dakota Republican John Thune defeated top Senate Democrat Tom Daschle. While more than $40 million was spent in the race, saturating the airwaves with advertising, it is clear that outcome was determined in the shadowy bowels of the violent South Dakota blog underworld: two leading South Dakota blogs were authored by paid advisers to Thune’s campaign.

Federal Election Commission documents obtained by CBS News show that in October the Thune campaign paid Jon Lauck, of Daschle v Thune, $27,000 and Jason Van Beek, South Dakota Politics, $8,000. Both blogs favored Thune, but neither gave any disclaimer during the election that the authors were on the payroll of the Republican candidate.

The shocking allegations were originally uncovered by KELO-TV and The Sioux Falls Argus Leader, after their advertising sales staffs reported increased buying resistance from the Thune campaign.

Oddly, no laws have apparently been broken. Case precedent on political speech as it pertains to blogs does not exist. But where distinguished, real journalists like Dan Rather can have their entire careers broken because some so-called “ethics violations,” bloggers are writing in the Wild West of cyberspace. There remains no code of ethics, or even an employer, to enforce any standard.

“Yeeehawww, looky me, I’m the Lone Cyberspace Ranger, riding across the unregulated cyberprairie with my trusty sidekick Proportional Fonto!” I mean, what the f*ck? Godammit, experts didn’t go to two years of Columbia Journalism School to put up with this kind of sh*t from a bunch of faceless non-experts with modems.

There’s more. Oh yes, much more.

UPDATE at 12/9/04 5:52:51 pm:

(Psst. It’s satire. If you thought it was good satire, go vote for Iowahawk in the 2004 Weblog Awards: Best Humor Blog, and while you’re at it vote for me, too.)