Shine A Light: The Catholic Blogisterium

Out to reform the Church?
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Or do we just write what we know and experience and observe?  Michael Voris** thinks there is more to it than that:
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RealCatholicTV.com, working from studios in suburban Detroit, is hunting for "traitorous" nuns, priests or bishops throughout the American church.  "We're no more engaged in a witch hunt than a doctor excising a cancer is engaged in a witch hunt," said Michael Voris of RealCatholicTV.com and St. Michael's Media. "We're just shining a light on people who are Catholics who do not live the faith."
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John Allen, Vatican analyst for the National Catholic Reporter, has dubbed this trend "Taliban Catholicism." - Source
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Remember they burned Savonarola.
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I'm not sure I'm shining a light on people who do not live the faith - but I will discuss public figures - including clergy and religious - who may be misleading or confusing the faith.  I'm not sure why the blogosphere is so scary just because the average Catholic now has a voice.  For years people who have questioned novel teachings and practices in their diocese have been dismissed by chancery functionaries and pastors and bishops as trouble makers or sentimental old-believers: right smack in the middle of their denials regarding their abuse and cover-up in the sex-scandals.  To be sure people are not always nice - but that is definitely not a new development.  Diocesan bureaucracies have been downright vicious towards conservative Catholics in the past.  However, I think constructive criticism should be heeded by Catholic bloggers and journalists, lest anyone gets too big for his bandwidth... if you know what I mean.
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For your consideration.
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Nevertheless, Jesuit Fr. James Martin* makes some reasonable points regarding the issue - I'll add my commentary - just like the important people do!:
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This is a disastrous trend for the Catholic church, for several reasons. (And, by the way, what I say applies to both the left and the right. And the middle, for that matter.)  [No it is not - the disaster happened - this phenomenon is part of the assessment and clean up.]
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First of all, too many inquisitorial bloggers attack anonymously, which makes it next to impossible to hold them to any real accountability.  Likewise, some commenters on such blogs also hide their real identities when carrying out their attacks, which are linked to and repeated by other bloggers.  [I use my real name - just not a real photo.  I do have anonymous commenters but I will hunt them down and beat them up.  KIDDING!  Just kidding! Or am I?] 
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Second, many of these attack-bloggers betray little theological knowledge.  It is one thing to be informed by a theological scholar with years of relevant experience working at the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for example, that your article or book or lecture is not in keeping with the tenets of the Catholic faith.  [Seriously, this is a very good point - especially when it comes to passing judgement on canonical issues and juridical problems.  Who's a heretic and who is not.  Nevertheless - it sounds rather elitist to me - like the only valid blogs are those by academics and theologians.]
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Third, the focus of their blogs is almost visibly narrow. Here are the sole topics of interest, in the order in which they cause foaming at the mouth (or on the keyboard): homosexuality, abortion, women's ordination, birth control, liturgical abuses and the exercise of church authority. Is this really the sum total of what makes us Catholic?  [No - it is not the sum total of what makes us Catholic - so let's get rid of the Ten Commandments.  C'mon - these are major issues which have undermined the faith.  These are real life issues.]
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Fourth, anonymous attacks drummed up by these bloggers often make their way, slowly but surely, to the offices of church leaders, where they can do real damage to real people with real jobs in Catholic schools and universities, parishes and chanceries.  [Drummed up?  I don't think so.  There is almost always a paper trail, financial records, arrest warrants, news paper articles, and so on.  Document, document, document - I learned that in management.]
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Fifth, there seems little apparent desire on the part of some of these watchdogs to speak to their targets. Rarely are the targets of ad hominem attacks contacted for any comment or explanation. And, in my experience, when you respond to some of these bloggers, while at times you will receive a thoughtful apology, or a revision on a blog, or you will agree to disagree in charity, most often than not you are met with even more invective and further hateful comments. After a while, you just find yourself give up.  [This may come as a huge surprise, but very often Catholic officials won't even respond to an email or agree to meet with a person of little or no importance.]  - America
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All rightey then.
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*BTW - I still Like Fr. Martin.  Some people think he looks like Stanley Tucci.  I can see it.
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**Did you know some people think Voris looks like Robert Redford.  I can see it.