Blogosphere Reactions to Novak

By Eric Pfeiffer | July 28, 2008 2:10 PM | | Comments (0)

When the Human Events website broke the news this morning that conservative columnist Robert Novak has been hospitalized with a brain tumor, the reaction was swift from bloggers on the left and right. Novak has been called a "traitor" by some on the left for his role in the Valerie Plame affair. It's also been a tough week for Novak publicly, after he was seemingly duped into reporting on John McCain's vice presidential selection timeline, and being cited for an alleged hit-and-run on a DC pedestrian.

Hot Air's Ed Morrissey writes:

It will be interesting to see how this news gets received by the media and the blogosphere. When Ted Kennedy got a similar diagnosis, the outpouring of attention and good wishes spread across the political spectrum. Novak, who has reported on American politics for longer than Ted Kennedy has worked in it, will probably not get the same reaction.

Of course, even long-established and respected journalists rarely rise to the same stature as elected officials in the eyes of the public. Tim Russert was an exception, not the rule. Nonetheless, some in the media have been pretty harsh to Novak as the news broke today.

Celebrity/entertainment gossip site TMZ heckled Novak after the hit-and-run story last week and today says, "Right wing bad driver Robert Novak has has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Does that affect your motor skills?"

Josh Marshall of liberal news site Talking Points Memo recaps the news and says: "We wish him the very best."

Meanwhile, it's the comment boards on progressive sites like Think Progress and Democratic Underground that are offering some less-favorable comments on the news.

Tags: Blogger Reactions, Bob Novak

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