Federal Judiciary

Oh wait, I remember now. That moment was brief when compared to the long sweep of America?s existence. But it was long in terms of our own lives. With the exception of the kids out there reading this (by the way: Get off my lawn!), most of us grew up thinking the Monarchical Media was the normal order of things. The New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, CBS, NBC, ABC: These were the official arbiters of the news and the truth.

But it didn?t used to be that way. America?s media landscape throughout the 19th century and for much of the 20th was more freewheeling, more open, more democratic. That?s not to say the truth didn?t matter or that it shouldn?t now. But the press used to be open about its preferences, biases, and ambitions. The mainstream media lie about theirs.

We know from Alexis de Tocqueville that Americans don?t naturally look to the government, they certainly don?t look to the crown, they don?t look to L. Ron Hubbard: They look to each other. As Michael Novak -- borrowing from Tocqueville -- likes to say, the first rule of democracy is association. Americans don?t look to authority, they look to each other. They create associations, because in a democracy, that?s how free people get stuff done. They get together, form a community, and solve problems. Newspapers were central to that whole process. People from divergent areas could stay informed via their newspapers, and people of common outlook could check in with their comrades about how their interests and views were faring. The newspapers equipped their readers with arguments, facts, and news that allowed communities to prosper, organize, and endure. ?Newspapers make associations, and associations make newspapers,? Tocqueville observed.

(And before some jabbering bandersnatch of the lefty netroots says, ?Hey! That sounds like the work of a community organizer,? let me stop you right there. Community organizers of the Obama-Alinsky type rile up the locals to petition the government. That?s not collective problem solving. That?s collective whining.)

What Tocqueville described is exactly how NRO works. We are, in our own way, a 21st century newspaper. We offer some reporting, a lot of analysis, and a superabundance of clarity for those sharing our principles and outlook. We help the uninformed understand conservatism and we help the informed act on their knowledge. We are the general store and barber shop of a virtual community that stretches from the gayest tip of the Florida Keys to the manliest duck blinds of the north slope of Alaska. We offer a sense of community, letting smart, handsome, successful, correct, insightful conservatives like you know that you?re not alone.

To that end, we?re trying to become more interactive, giving members of the NR community more opportunities to chime in. We?re removing the pain collars from our interns more often, though I guess that?s not relevant. What is relevant is that we?re doing everything we can for you guys to have a source of news, analysis, argument, opinion, humor, and zombie-preparedness updates.

And in order to do that, we need your help. You know what to do. Choke a leprechaun until he gives you his gold. And if that doesn?t work, send us a check.

Please. Jack Fowler has been asking about Cosmo a lot lately.

-- Jonah Goldberg is editor-at-large of National Review Online and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. © 2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Full post as published by Bench Memos - National Review Online on March 29, 2010 (boomark / email).