To understand the life of a political activist or blogger, you almost have to be one. You're often loathed, feared, reviled and ostracized at social events. Few people want to talk to you privately, and always, oh yes, always, only "off the record" -- unless they want to use your work to get to your audience.
Many bloggers have evolved into online political activists. Sans traditional journalism training, we find ourselves combining reporting with analyzing. Gathering information that way is confusing and disorienting to old school media junkies. But it's this new fast and furious wave of information distribution that's making an increasing impact on our world. Political bloggers are America's 21st century Paul Reveres and Benjamin Franklins. They serve double duty as the Scott's 4-in-1 for today's grassroots. And with few exceptions, most make surprising financial sacrifice to do what they do.
These online activists have moved from pajamas and momma's basements to covering events live and being included in press conferences with the mainstream media. With old information sources going the way of the dinosaur, bloggers and Tweeters are gaining momentum and notoriety. They can make things happen. Take for instance, last week's powerful liberty-loving Tea Parties.
Indeed, with the help of bloggers, grassroots activism beats on as the heart and soul of our democratic republic. It's value is rarely publicly recognized because hard-nosed politicians detest the nuisance of charged-up party rank-and-file and scowl at answering pesky phone calls and emails stemming from activist-initiated causes. Mainstream reporters look down their noses at new media competitors, so activist bloggers don't fit there either.
Really, to understand a political activist or a blogger, you have to be one. The heat-generating passion of an activist and the lonely, dogged perseverence of a blogger just doesn't make sense to normal people.
So when Sam Adams Alliance came up with the idea of Sammies last year, it was a little confusing to many of us activist "online citizen journalists" (a term we bloggers have grown to prefer). We were suspicious of any organization that acclaimed feisty blogging, persistent public record digging, government transparency researching and shining sunshine where political roaches dwell.
Then, not only did SAA begin awarding such characters with a golden Sammie statue, they added financial reward and a dressy, upscale honors dinner. And not only that, SAA's been going throughout the states setting up, implementing and staging new media workshops called Samspheres to encourage and train more citizen journalists to get into the game.
Thanks to Sam Adams Alliance and their annual Sammies, a notable few of the country's irreplaceable patriots were publicly recognized for their exemplary and often unappreciated commitment to the good of our American foundations.
Last Saturday night in Northbrook, SAA brought in new media superstars to honor these special citizen journalists. The concept was initially difficult to grasp, but the next day, when I realized what had happened the night before, I was in even more awe of what Sam Adams was and is trying to do. By bringing in popular new media columnists like Michelle Malkin and MaryKatherine Ham as well as grassroots superhero "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelebacher, Wall Street Journal's John Fund and Fox Business News' contributor Jonathan Hoenig to present awards, together they honored today's real revolutionaries.
Saturday evening's superstars -- a mom of three who Twitters to thousands, a grandma who scours voters records, a fierce yet kind-hearted Minnesotan who blogs on state politics and other key folks who stay at the task of making America better -- were bestowed well-deserved respect and generous monetary awards.
What a concept -- honoring these everyday special folks just as movie stars and television personalities do their own each year with Oscars and Emmys!
Congratulations to all those who won prizes of $5000 or so for their Paul Reveresque efforts. Thanks to Sam Adams Alliance for making all of us fellow bloggers feel a little more special today, knowing that perhaps, if we work a little harder and try to make a difference in our own venues, we too, might be someday become a coveted part of Sam Adams Alliance's modern day media revolution.
And to Sam Adams Alliance's Chairman and Founder Eric O'Keefe, National COO John Tsarpalas, new media coordinator Emily Marie Zanotti and all the others who work so hard out of the Chicago national headquarters, we salute you, too,
Now, excuse us while we conclude and publish this post ... we hope you understand.
Of course, if you don't, no one will. After all, folks, "The British are coming!"
[NOTE: You won't want to miss Illinois' own Samsphere coming up on May 8th in suburban Chicago. Sign up today for one of the 50 reservations we're accepting that day by clicking on the Blogger Conference Ad in our right hand margin. Illinois Review is thrilled to be co-hosting the event with Sam Adams Alliance.]
(Photo above feature award winners Blogivist of the Year Elizabeth Crum, Mary Katharine Ham, Michelle Malkin, Microblogger of the Year Melissa Coulthier and Sam Adams' Emily Zanotti. Photo below features --, Emily Zanotti, Mary Katharine Ham, Melissa Coulthier, John Tsarpalas and Jason Steverak.)
