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Let's stop picking on journalists who don't blog »

Joichi Ito
Oct 29, 2003 - 14:16 UTC »

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Although Joseph Urbaszewski's blog shows a blogger beating the mass media, I think we should stop picking on professional traditional journalists. I think that if journalists need help from their editors to write, (in the case of Japan) want life-time employment, need someone to protect them in court, need paper boys to reach their readers and need a brand to provide legitimacy, I think they should be allowed to do this. I think it's mean to pick on them too much...

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9 Comments & Trackback

9 Comments

02. Ryan - Oct 30, 2003 - 00:28

Or to, say, fund research like this.

:)

03. Jim Moore - Oct 30, 2003 - 00:41

Now if bloggers only had ad sales people, the playing field would be level..

:)

04. Charles T. Whipple - Oct 30, 2003 - 09:06

Many traditional journalists are very serious about their work. The Poynter Organization site gives you an inkling as to what kinds of issues serious journalists are addressing within their trade. Today's site has an article on VIEWTRON, which was "before the Web."

05. Joi Ito - Oct 30, 2003 - 10:19

I know Charles. I'm just teasing.

But I think many bloggers are serious about their blogging and in fact there are several great journalist/bloggers.

I don't think being a traditional journalist gives you a monopoly on being serious about journalism though.

06. Charles T. Whipple - Oct 30, 2003 - 11:42

Joi said:

I don't think being a traditional journalist gives you a monopoly on being serious about journalism though.

Charlie replies:

Of course it doesn't. Not any more than geekship gives a person a monopoly on cool or brains.

07. Joi Ito - Oct 30, 2003 - 15:25

Charles :-) OK I can live with that.

08. Joe Urbz - Oct 31, 2003 - 03:56

There are wonderful journalists and reporters (ie, Patrick Healey on NBC4-LA); however, the producers and directors for TV DEMAND the "big show" and "drama" stuff. That is what supposedly attracts advertising dollars down the road. It still comes down to what channel the people watch, not about journalism. That is the biggest complaint. I mean, c'mon, an ABC7 news reporter walks in on a Strike Force meeting LIVE and asks asinine questions and then comments FOR the firefighters when they give small answers. Later that evening, they got chewed out by the fire HQ's. Chuck Henry and his cameraman almost lose their lives over something stupid AFTER being told LIVE to get out.

09. henrycopeland - Oct 31, 2003 - 19:46

Joi -- hilarious post.

Jim -- bloggers do have salespeople... see Blogads.com. I'm a former journalist who was always annoyed to see 80% of ad revenues go to underwriting the publisher's fat infrastructure. Blogging lets us reverse that formula. The playing field is now more than level -- in addition to the lowest overheads, bloggers have spontaneity, intense networking and passion going for them too.