More chest-thumping hot air coming out of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, regarding the bizarre idea to ban linking to and blogging about news stories for 24 hours. (Read the source document here)

A "news" story about the controversy was published today on Cleveland.com. Reporter James F. McCarty steps in with an account dripping with sarcasm and disdain for the Internet and defending the Marburger brothers' plan, which was first spread by a Plain Dealer columnist, Connie Schultz. This is the same dismissive attitude that drew so much heat on "reader representative" Ted Diadiun, who called bloggers "a bunch of pipsqueaks out there talking about what the real journalists do."

About a week later, the Cleveland.com web guy dragged Diadiun back before the camera to try to salvage the paper's image. Digital guy John Kroll argued that not everyone at the paper is a backward-thinking digital Neanderthal.

But then today we get this: "Idea for protecting newspapers draws national spotlight, bloggers' ire" Count the arrogant phrases:

"...a newspaper industry suffering from ... a plundered work product." (Me: Cites no data to support the claim)

"found...their ideas a flash point for cyberspace bloggers who screamed in protest. OMG!" (Me: ... because bloggers are all 12-year-old girls? Come on.)

"Protesting bloggers didn't appreciate the references to parasites and the threat to their 'free-ride' existence." (Me: Adopts the false premise that bloggers have nothing they don't copy from newspapers. Continuing....)
"But the Marburgers also have found more sympathetic forums for their Quixotic crusade to save newspapers. They were interviewed for a story in Editor & Publisher, an influential print industry magazine. Saturday, David Marburger will appear on National Public Radio's "On the Media," which airs at 6 a.m. on WKSU FM/ 89.7, and at 4 p.m. on WCPN FM/ 90.3. And on Tuesday, the Russian News and Information Agency is flying both men to Washington, D.C., for an hour long interview." (Me: Translation = But the traditional media is jumping on board so who cares what those bloggers think)

"...apply economic theories to the problem of unfair competition from online and broadcast media." (Me: Again, adopts the premise of "unfair" competition)

"Not surprisingly, the blogging beneficiaries of cost-free news stories fervently oppose the Marburger plan. " (Me: More of the same)

"The Marburgers have the support of Plain Dealer President and Publisher Terrance C. Z. Egger." (Me: Oh, those visionary leaders of the digital age?)

I wanted to believe John Kroll that not everyone at the Plain Dealer is stuck in 1992, but it's getting really hard.

UPDATE: Also just noticed that reader comments have been disabled on the latest Plain Dealer story.... because who wants to hear from any of those Internet people