Jeff Jarvis, Jay Rosen, Walter Fields and Mike Connell are discussing how to “navigate” the new media system.

Rosen touted his new project to enable grassroots blogger coverage of the presidential campaign, which he argues will provide an alternative to MSM horse race coverage. (It's called “Off The Bus.”) But many top bloggers use a horse-race, poll-driven frame, and they focus mostly on the “top tier” candidates that have been pre-selected by the MSM. Asked how he would counter that trend, Jay said they would not tap the “usual suspects” to report, and they would use their front page filter to highlight writers who provide substantive coverage. He didn’t really address the top tier part of the question, but Fields jumped in to say that its crucial for bloggers to cover all the candidates seriously. We can keep an eye on the site to see if they move beyond the “top tier.”

Moderator Esther Dyson also pressed Rosen to require full disclosure for contributors, who may have ties to campaigns or other interests. (Blogger ethics panel alert!)

In a different vein, Fields emphasized that for Black Americans, presidential campaign activism is a luxury, while local politics is more relevant and potentially empowering. He speculated on the racial digital divide, questioning whether Black Americans might be more likely to use cell phones for political activity, rather than laptops.

Connell, a self-described “technical evangelist,” touted the 2004 Dean Campaign’s success, while Dyson pushed back to say it didn’t really “succeed” in the end. Connell countered that the campaign had a great Internet operation but virtually no Iowa field staff. That is false. Dean had a large and long-term field staff presence in Iowa, (which I saw while working as an Iowa caucus organizer in 2003-04). Plus the campaign was run by Joe Trippi, a man who knew the Iowa Caucus from his days as a caucus organizer for Ted Kennedy. But no tech conference is complete without a debate over Dean’s downfall. We can catch up with Zack Exley in the hall for more detail…

Then Dyson asked for a question from anyone under 20 in the audience, and a 19-year-old Georgetown student stood to profess her Facebook addiction, and ask how politicians should use the site. Jarvis replied by asking her to give the advice, as the resident expert, and she responded off the cuff, “that’s a good question.” (Laughter.) She added that Obama is the “big cool guy” right now, but more of her peers seem vehemently against a candidate than for one.

A Rocketboom guy stood up to question what new media efforts can offer that the MSM does not already provide, explaining that he felt redundant when traveling with traditional reporters on the Edwards Campaign plane. The panelists agreed that remains a challenge, since successful writers and activists will always be tempted, lured and rewarded as they excel in the arena (be it journalism or activism or something else). Fields said if "they" open the door on the bus, the key is to run away.

And I almost forgot the cliché count: “Power does not just corrupt, it seduces” (Dyson), “Remember who you work for” (Jarvis), “open the door” (Fields). I would have more, but my cliché meter overheated during the Friedman speech.

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