The national Mainstream Media has lost all credibility with me. I believe nothing, and I mean nothing, that I see on network TV. The facts reported by the MSM may be accurate (most of the time) but context is everything. What facts were omitted? What was the spin? What other stories simply go unacknowledged and unreported? The bias, usually constrained in the past, is now totally out of control.

State/local journalists haven’t descended to the depths of their national counterparts, but their failures and limitations are glaring even so. I dedicated my most recent column, “Breakthrough,” to castigating the superficial and incomplete treatment of the House of Delegates’ transportation initiative. In the post below (“What is the ‘Senate GOP Trust?’”), I take note of the MSM’s failure to illuminate what appears to be a formalized schism within the GOP ranks of the state Senate.

A recurring theme in this blog is, “Who Will Gather the News?” As the MSM business model fails, resources are cut and the quality of its political reporting continues to flag, where will people get their news? The news, I think, will come increasingly from bloggers and the newsmakers themselves.

In touting the contribution of bloggers, I would refer to my own humble efforts. Every column I write for the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine is based upon outside research and interviews. But I am not the only blogger doing reporting. To cite one recent example, I refer you to the reporting by Norm Leahy at One Man’s Trash of remarks that former Gov. Jim Gilmore made to the Tuesday Morning Group. (Click here and scroll down to “Jim Gilmore at TMG.”) I would also commend the work of Waldo Jaquith, who blogs direct from the General Assembly, and Conaway Haskins at South of the James who does a lot of fact gathering for many of his columns.

Of even greater interest, perhaps, is the commentary coming directly from the newsmakers themselves — bypassing the MSM and going straight to the public. Ken Cuccinelli’s “Cuccinelli Compass” is a good example. (See post below.) In the 2005 General Assembly, the Governor’s Office and the two political parties were the most reliable source of news and quotes, updating their websites and spitting out e-mails. This year, the number of press releases and e-mail communications seems to be increasing exponentially.

A daily news clipping service distributed by Scott Leake at the Senate’s Republican Leadership Trust packages the MSM news in a useful, easy-to-read format that saves readers the trouble of consulting a dozen individual newspaper websites. The Tuesday Morning Groups sends out daily e-mails updating readers on legislation of interest to that group. Virginians for Death Tax Repeal provide frequent e-mail updates. In just the last few days, I’ve received updates from Gov. Tim Kaine, Senate Majority Leader Walter Stosch, House Speaker Bill Howell, Attorney General Bob McDonnell and Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. I dare not even contemplate the number of lobbying groups that are blasting out e-mail alerts — thankfully, I’m not on their distribution lists.

If I’m getting these communications, so is every other political blogger in Virginia who posts an e-mail address. For anyone who cares, it’s easier than ever to get their news straight from the source. Why bother reading he said/she said newspaper articles when you can read what he/she said unfiltered and unadulterated?