Bloggers Before There Was Internet

John Wilkes recently was biographied as the father of civil liberties for his struggles before the American war of independence. BrooklynDodger(s) haven't gotten to the end of this now being published book. One of the BrooklynDodger(s) personalities now considers Wilkes as an avatar.

The point is that Wilkes wrote and caused to be published the North Briton, an unsigned newspaper. As a personal series of political observations, North Briton was essentially a blog distributed on paper. Political society was limited enough then that a limited circulation paper impacted important people.

Wilkes fought a duel with a targetted politician over the issue of Wilkes refusal to admit writing an article attacking that politician.

[The duel was a draw, and the combatants went out drinking afterwards.]

Nevertheless, the value of anonymous political commentary has deep, deep roots.