And Bruce, statements like that – anger like that – is why they’ll always be a shadow of doubt about blogs, and this from a guy who has his own blog, twitters and facebooks. Maybe not every “real” journalist puts in a real effort, but way more bloggers fire bullets from their computer without ever showing up in a locker room, or on press row. Now maybe their opinions are smart and educated from what they watch, but why would I take their stuff as law? Shank may be writing the same columns over and over again, but at least I know he has a deep rolodex.

Oh, and why the hate for mailmen and teachers? What the heck did the postal service ever do to you? Have a bad calculus teacher in H.S.?

First, I don’t know Kerry, nor do I have a grudge. Can’t speak for Mike.

What would an editor do? How about tell Kerry, “Hey amateur, you can’t report hearsay!! Go find out what these people were really talking about and quote them on the record!” That’s what an editor would say.

No editor on earth would let a story get past them based on EAVESDROPPING!! Are you kidding me?

shalise

Wow Kerry. You really believe the first part of that? I know dozens of people that piss and moan about their job, from teachers to my mailman to 250,000 dollar executives. Does the same hold true for them too? Should I start a blog and do the same to them as you did to SMY? I think your motives aren’t clear.

With all the talk over the weekend about Twitter replacing reporters in the press box, I think it is a little easy to over estimate its power. The key value of reporters is their knowledge and access. Twitter is just a medium, and a 140 character limited one at that. Without good content, its just another glorified IM service.

“”While the Twitter issue here may be the discussion starter for a larger story about the state of journalism, it’s hardly fodder for a blog post that purports this “incident” as a viable story. Hell, you’ve got Bruce calling it a dust-up, and I’d bet a week’s pay it was nothing, nowhere close to a dust-up.”"

“Stories” such as yours are absolutely what gives bloggers a bad name. You have no filter. You have no vetting process. You need an editor.

So you basically overheard a conversation/outburst and reported it, am I correct? Did you talk to the woman from the ProJo for clarification? Guess not since you weren’t sure it was her. Did you talk to the other reporter who had a “mini-fit”? Guess not.

While the Twitter issue here may be the discussion starter for a larger story about the state of journalism, it’s hardly for a blog post the purports this “incident” as a viable story. Hell, you’ve got Bruce calling it a dust-up, and I’d bet a week’s pay it was nothing, nowhere close to a dust-up.

You’re talking about a lack of trust, hell, if I were your media colleagues at Foxboro, I wouldn’t trust you with a casual conversation on the weather. No chance. You didn’t look inside the bubble of turmoil, you essentially spread gossip–and that’s the worst kind of journalism going.

Nice job.

The female reporter I mentioned, apparently Ms. Young of the ProJo, was exasperated when she said it, at least that’s the way it sounded to me. It was just a few minutes after the other reporter had his mini-fit. He was definitely angry. So it was consistent with his reaction. But I’m happy to take Ms. Young at her word that she was making a joke. The words still reflect the frustration many in the media are feeling.

And I reported these words for a very sound journalistic reason: they offered very telling insight into the powerful institution called the media, during a time of great crisis and turmoil for the industry.

Sadly, because media control the messaging, we never get honest behind-the-scenes views inside the bubble of media power in this time of crisis. But I was able to offer a brief, accurate glimpse of what’s going on inside the bubble. The media call this a “public service” when the subject is anyone but themselves.

The predictable response here, though, is a classic example of the double-standard the media holds for itself.

From my perspective as a reporter for many major publications, and as a media businessman, and as someone intimately familiar with and concerned about the health of the industry, this elitist attitude goes a long way toward explaining the public’s lack of trust in media. It also helps explain the poor financial state of the industry. These factors, the elitism, the double standards, lack of trust, and the lack of financial viability, are intricately intertwined. However, “traditional” media prefer to use the internet, like Twitter for example, as a convenient excuse for their ills.

The reporters in question here may, in fact, be very, very good reporters and quality individuals. I did not use names because I did not want to embarrass any individual. I wish them well. I have no need or desire to impugn their character, and don’t think I did. After all, they did nothing improper or unethical, they merely did something interesting.

I simply offered a look inside the bubble of turmoil in an industry that, as evident by the numbers of comments you received, clearly holds some interest to the public.