Kurtz: Glenn Beck Dominating Conversation Without Mainstream Media

In his column in Monday's paper, Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz observes that Fox News personality Glenn Beck is dominating the media conversation -- even to the point of forcing a White House official to resign -- without a bit of help from newspapers, television or other mainstream news sources. "It has become a familiar chain reaction: Talk-show hosts whip up a noisy controversy, which hits higher decibels as it spreads to the establishment media, which costs some unfortunate soul his job," Kurtz writes. "But now the middleman -- the journalistic gatekeepers of yore -- may no longer be necessary."

Kurtz notes that White House green jobs advisor Van Jones, who Beck had relentlessly attacked for his profane comments and conspiracy-theorist past, resigned before the New York Times had run a single story on the conflict. Neither had there been any mention of the story on any of the network newscasts. Beck's ratings have soared to 2.25 million viewers for his 5 p.m. weekday slot in the Fox News lineup, despite losing multiple advertisers over his routinely over-the-top commentary. He deflects criticism by describing himself as a former "dirtbag" and a "clown," but at least this time, he beat the mainstream press to a serious story.

New York Times Managing Editor Jill Abramson said her newspaper was "a beat behind" on the Van Jones story, and that "we should have been paying closer attention."