I love this: N.L. Belardes, who has been a thorn in the side of the local MSM for a couple of years, the ultimate media gadfly, is being slighted by a group of would-be alternative journalists because of his ties to Bakotopia, the TBC-owned social networking site.

The deeper layer there is Bakotopia is supposed to be alternative itself, but clearly has established a reputation among some locals as just another mainstream game.

I love the irony.

The would-be alternative journalists are trying to replace the now defunct Blackboard with “The Elistist Press” a name N.L. does like:

The name of the paper had already been decided before the first meeting: The Elitist Press. I get it. It’s some joke that really states that mainstream media are the elitists showering down their perspectives of the universe on innocent readers. Kind of silly and stupid—definitely arrogant. A trap waiting to slam shut on itself perhaps? I think so. For instance, what if the tiny Elitist Press became successful, or mainstream? Would they change their name? “People aren’t going to get the joke,” I said to Black Dog. “You’re going to take heat.”

Black Dog is John Jones, one of my all-time favorite bloggers.

Read the comments on N.L.’s post — quite a controversy is breaking out over The Elitist Press before it even launches.

I still say they should do it all online as a sort of group blog. From the description N.L. gives of the meetings, they’re all still thinking very old media — the meeting sounds a lot like many MSM budget meetings all over the land — instead of just going out and doing it and filing as much shit online as they can, and letting the readers decide what’s important. They’re thinking about their own egos as journalists instead of putting the audience first. The ultimate ironey.

Meanwhile, BD isn’t happy with N.L.’s post.