Blogging has become an international phenomenon. Blogs, which are a shorter term for "web-logs," are websites where the creator provides daily commentary on any given subject. Subjects of blogs can range from politics to food to entertainment.
Bloggers have had such an impact that many mainstream media outlets are creating their own and even adopting bloggers into their medium.
The latter is definitely true in the case of David Goldstein. Goldstein runs the liberal Washington state political blog, horsesass.org. The name comes from the term Goldstein has used to describe one of the many targets of his criticism: political activist Tim Eyman.
Seeking controversy?
In 2003, Goldstein filed Initiative 831 (I-831), which sought to "officially proclaim" Eyman as a "horse's ass." The initiative wasn't serious, but it was meant to criticize the state's initiative process.
"The point was that the initiative process was so broken that one could use it just the way I did," Goldstein said.
When news broke of I-831, Goldstein found himself launched into the political arena. His assault on Eyman had him appearing on the front page of the Seattle P-I and landing regular spots debating conservative radio talk-show hosts.
"Eyman is a good story," he said, "and I became a good story, too."
In addition to Eyman, Goldstein has gained other adversaries and critics. Stefan Sharkansky, who runs the conservative blog Sound Politics, said about Goldstein, "He's very passionate about what he believes in, but he tends to put partisanship above accuracy. If he finds himself on the losing end of the argument, he'll often resort to using ad hominid [sic] attacks and potty words."
Goldstein's controversial streak continued in summer 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
In what he calls his "claim to fame," Goldstein broke the story that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Michael Brown's prior experience was as Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association for 11 years. Goldstein suggested that this revealed Brown to be unqualified for a job in emergency management.
In a testimony before Congress in late September, Brown mentioned Goldstein's blog by name and suggested the blog played a role in FEMA's problems.
In his testimony, Brown said, "Ironically, it started with an organization called horsesass.org, that on some blog published a false - and, frankly, in my opinion, defamatory - statement that the media just continued to repeat over and over."
"All I reported was what he did," Goldstein claimed. "I got it initially wrong when I said he was there for three years. It was actually 11 years, which makes him look worse."
Going on air
As Goldstein gained more acclaim, he found more and more opportunities to be on the radio.
His first trip into a studio was in 2003, when the Eyman story broke, and Goldstein said he instantly knew that it was what he wanted to do.
Using his reputation for being able to stay his ground on radio, he acquired a guest spot on KIRO 710 AM. He eventually got a permanent slot, and his show, "The David Goldstein Show," now airs every Sunday from 7 to 10 p.m.
Goldstein hopes to be more than a Sunday night host.:"I'd like to be in a time with a broader audience, but this is my opportunity to both learn the profession and teach myself."
'Advocacy journalism'
David Goldstein is regularly in the Madison Valley area to visit his family and to record his weekly podcast, "Drinking Liberally," live at the Montlake Ale House.
The podcast has attracted regulars such as The Stranger's Sandeep Kaushik and the Seattle P-I's Joel Connelly and has occasionally brought in such political figures such as King County Executive Ron Sims and Congressman Jim McDermott.
Goldstein doesn't pretend to be unbiased and views what he does as "advocacy journalism."
"I feel no obligation to be balanced, but I will be fair," he said. "As long as I'm honest about my bias, I feel people can view me in that context."
Michael Powell can be reached at mptimes@nwlink.com.
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