In an interview with the Louisville Courier-Journal, ABC anchorman Charles Gibson plays the scold of newfangled Internet news and citizen bloggers: He "knows people are curious, but he is concerned that when users make their own Internet front pages, those pages will focus on gossip instead of solid information. He thinks old-fashioned journalism is underrated these days." Then there's this:
"It's important to have people with a lot of experience putting together what you need to know," he said. "Maybe I'm sticking my head in the sand, but I still think there is still a tremendous role for mainstream media." He's also a little dubious about self-appointed Internet journalists. He said he was on a panel with retired Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee when someone asked Bradlee what he thought about citizen reporters. Gibson said Bradlee replied, "I don't know. What do you think of citizen surgeons?"
What a typical Ben Bradlee quote, chock full of media-elite arrogance. It quickly reminds me of something Brent Baker said at MRC HQ a long time ago. When we were talking about how some journalists might mock us startup-conservative-newsletter MediaWatch media critics as amateurs, he said we're as much experts on the media as the media are on all the professions that they attack. Ben Bradlee would obviously feel free as an editor to rip away at the malpractice of surgeons without having a surgery degree. He would feel free as an editor to rip politicians to pieces without a law degree or a Master's in public administration. He would feel free as an editor to rip apart inefficient pilots without a second's instruction in flight training, or attack the actions of soldiers without a moment in military service.
It might seem unreasonable to insist that journalists, who are often generalists trying to assemble a story on the fly within a daily grind measured in hours, to be credentialed experts on everything. But it is also unreasonable for journalists to assume with great arrogance that their Internet critics need to go to the media equivalent of surgeon's schooling before they are qualified to judge the Bradlees and the Gibsons.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.
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"It's important to have
July 13, 2007 - 09:09 ET by HelenS"It's important to have people with a lot of experience putting together what you need to know."
How arrogant is that? These people are disgusting. If I were in a room with one rat, I think I could handle it. Step on it or something if it gets too close. But if I were in a room with 100 rats, I kid you not - I would be terrified. That's how these people make me feel. I feel over-run and out-numbered and quite scared of them.
Just because we have the moral high-ground (yes, I came out and said it) doesn't mean that out of sheer numbers and evil they can't over-run us. Am I discouraged? Possibly. But I'm also overwhelmed by them, some times. It's like if you shoot one, 10 more spring up in their place (think Hydra)
"Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war" - Shakespeare
I also keyed in on the "
July 13, 2007 - 12:24 ET by SouthJersey1953I also keyed in on the "It's important to have people with a lot of experience putting together what you need to know," statement by Charlie. THAT is MSMs problem in one sentence. They think THEY are the ones with the right to tell us "what we need to know." Who gave them that authority? Obvioulsy no one, which is why MSM's TV ratings and newspaper subscriptions are dropping so fast.
No RINOs in '08 - Thompson/Hunter would be a good ticket; Thompson/Steele would be a great ticket
"It's important to hav
July 13, 2007 - 13:43 ET by DontFeedTheTrolls"It's important to have people with a lot of experience putting together what you need to know."
And this exalted experience gives us what?
Paris Hilton?
I didn't know I needed to even know her name.
Sheesh!
D
I don't support our liberals or their mission.
Actually, I've performed ex
July 13, 2007 - 09:13 ET by sarcasmoActually, I've performed expedient amateur surgery on myself, saving my own life in the process. I'd grade me as "excellent" at that, too, just like I am at both journalism & at judging the bias of journalists, so thanks for asking the wrong question! If I'd been arrogant or stupid, I'd be dead.
JMR
This actually makes me optimi
July 13, 2007 - 09:24 ET by PeskyDaneThis actually makes me optimistic. I can see this trending in a positive direction. The internet in general is causing a shift in power from out of the hands of a few elite into the general population. Both news and entertainment have become easier to access and people have tremendous choices. It may be too much to hope for, but wouldn't it be wonderful if the scribes and entertainers were placed back into their traditional roles? One of the biggest problems with scribes like Gibson and Couric are that they don't know their place - and that's pretty much our fault. In the end, we pay their over-bloated salaries through our patronage (viewer ship and sponsors). Thus they see themselves as shapers of policy rather than mere recorders of events. It would be a wonderful day if the successors of Gibson and Couric are back to a substance salary scribbling down quotes and actions of their betters.
I suspect the networks are
July 13, 2007 - 09:32 ET by sarcasmoI suspect the networks are slowly getting a clue via YouTube if nothing else. Clearly, some jobs in journalism (such as what they should have done years ago, like Cal's suggestion of infiltrating Wahabbi mosques to find-out -- duh -- the Saudis funding anti-US hate with our own gasoline-money) are more dangerous and require more skill than others. The people we see on screens need to be good-looking and able to read stuff like what the real journalists infiltrating the hate-mosques write. That's it. Such qualifications should not command the kind of bloated salaries they're currently commanding. CBS will have an anchor after Katie, and he/she won't make half as much.
JMR
There is YouTube, and there i
July 13, 2007 - 09:51 ET by PeskyDaneThere is YouTube, and there is also other forms of file sharing which are wreaking havoc on our copyright laws, (in spite of the best efforts of the entertainment industry) which are in turn being rendered more and more impotent, especially as we globalize. I don't have the info handy but I understand that some courts have ruled that in some cases, if you've put your work out into the 'public domain,' you've negated at least some of your copyright protection. I'm not sure if the good outweighs the bad here, but you have to admit that there's something delicious about the prospect of Britney’s or Madonna's successors having to teach piano lessons and eating in the kitchen with the servants.
The law tends to carefully
July 13, 2007 - 09:55 ET by sarcasmoThe law tends to carefully remain at least one generation behind any technology, from Gutenburg on, it seems. Music's business model failed with "Napster," but they had a widely subsribed-to thing they could have squeezed some money out of, albeit not as much as the record/tape/CD scam they were used-to. They instead attacked it, and as they've sowed so now they reap. I think it's a good thing & it couldn't have happened to nicer people, because I still agree with this old music industry rant.
JMR
Yes, I've read about this.
July 13, 2007 - 10:30 ET by PeskyDaneYes, I've read about this. Seems that most musicians would make more simply by performing in any number of venues rather than by signing with some label. Don't know much about the industry except that the average CD is produced for pennies per unit. A bit OT here, but the same concept. The internet has provided an alternate way to deliver the product (news or entertainment). More choiced mean better prices for the user.
You might find this site's
July 13, 2007 - 10:35 ET by sarcasmoYou might find this site's music interesting, as well as the business concept, which puts power back into the hands of the artists and their fans. Oddly, some fans like me will voluntarily pay MORE than the cost of a song if they know the money's going to the artist, instead of some sleazeball financing trips to Scores for music industry executives who've never produced any art in their lives...
JMR
The overwhelming arrogance fr
July 13, 2007 - 09:31 ET by KC BeachThe overwhelming arrogance from these people is unbelievable. In their mind a surgeon and a journalist are equally trained and of equal importance. A surgeon needs years of training to become a doctor so they can adhere to the Hippocratic Oath they are required to take which starts out “First do no harm.” A “journalist” apparently just needs to get through a four year liberal arts school. Perhaps “journalists” should required to take something other than their Hypocritical Oath which appears to start out “liberals good, conservatives bad so harm them anyway possible.”
There is a reason the MSM is losing customers faster than a glacier melt. They insult the intelligence of the majority of their customer base on a regular basis and wonder why John Q. has stopped watching and switched to Fox and the internet for information. I guess we “citizen news consumers” are just too dumb for these formally trained “non-citizen journalists.”
Excellent appropriate analo
July 13, 2007 - 09:37 ET by Dee BunkExcellent appropriate analogy Tim Grahm (about Journalists attacking professions they lack knowledge of) Where did you learn about analogies anyway? It couldn't have been journalism school because they think journalist to Surgeon is a good one. Hum - how many years of school for each? What kind of grades are required to get into journalism school vs medical school? A more appropriate analogy would be marketing (sales). Success is much more dependent on charisma in both professions. I guess citizen sales people wouldn't sound very bad would it?
I think lack of understanding is the major problem in journalism, more than intentional bias. Their bias is usually unintended and based on ignorance of how other professions work and what the conservative philosophy is all about.
Hey, Charlie! Bet the citiz
July 13, 2007 - 09:42 ET by drillanwrHey, Charlie! Bet the citizen surgeons would do much better than the docs in the Cuban health care system ...
Bradlee, Gibson, and their M
July 13, 2007 - 09:47 ET by GalvanicBradlee, Gibson, and their MSM elitist peers will continue to mock alternative sources of information with glib comments like the 'citizen surgeon' crack. As former CBS News reporter Bernard Goldberg reminds us, they are oblivious to the public's disdain for their attitudes, and distrust of their product, because they see themselves as unbiased chroniclers of truth. If Gibson's rating were plummeting as steeply as Williams' and Couric's, he might take bloggers more seriously.
The difference is that a surg
July 13, 2007 - 10:17 ET by KC MulvilleThe difference is that a surgeon can be sued for malpractice.
You want credentials? Fine. Live with the consequences.
Boy that would be sweet jus
July 13, 2007 - 10:24 ET by Dee BunkBoy that would be sweet justice if we could. Class action all the way!
New Fairness Doctrine
July 13, 2007 - 10:34 ET by dagdaSince the Democrats are pushing for control of radio based on the idea that the airwaves belong to the people, we should be able to sue the MSM for violating the unfairness of their reporting. God knows that any jury would be on our side!
Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow. Dwight Eisenhower
You guys! I've been saying th
July 13, 2007 - 10:42 ET by drillanwrYou guys! I've been saying this for weeks/months! Time to sue the MSM news outlets for a very faulty, and dangerous (yes, can be proven since the enemy is using the American MSM in their propaganda) product. I'm serious.
Today in the news
July 13, 2007 - 10:51 ET by dagdaCan you see/hear the lead in? Today, our lead story is that MSM is being sued in a class action suit by viewers. The claim is that MSM is dangerous to humanity and collaborates with the enemy. Media spokesmen have refused to speak saying they had not read the court papers yet. People have speculated that this is just an effort by the Bush administration to deflect an active press corps because his polling numbers are down. Rep. Harry Reid is quoted as saying, "We see the MSM as a perfectly fair and balanced part of the four parts of government."
Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow. Dwight Eisenhower
Nah, that would confirm their
July 13, 2007 - 14:09 ET by KC MulvilleNah, that would confirm their self-importance. To sue them, you'd have to agree that they have a special right to decide what the public should see. I certainly don't think that's true. I think journalists have every right to report and opine, but everyone else has the same right. I deny that their right is any different than every other citizen.
Which brings up an interestin
July 13, 2007 - 13:14 ET by GalvanicWhich brings up an interesting hypothetical case: What if Bush lost the election in '04, and exit polls indicated that the notorious Rather-gate scandal had turned enough votes against Bush in Ohio to cost him the election? A class action suit against Rather & CBS by the people who voted for Bush would be something to witness. Even if the plaintiffs lost, the whole news process behind the story would be ripped open and exposed to the public.
And we wonder why there's suc
July 13, 2007 - 10:23 ET by FastEdAnd we wonder why there's such journalist disprespect for "Citizen Soldiers". They are reaping what they have sown - look at the viewing numbers Ben, and Charlie, what size mouth do you have? Big enough for foot?
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
Charlie. Many of us have been
July 13, 2007 - 10:23 ET by danboCharlie. Many of us have been involved in things. Or saw something first hand. (Like Katrina) Then hear the reports from you guys. And had to wonder if the media was reporting about what you saw or was involved in.
Complain all you want. 1'st am radio talk shows ate your lunch. Now the blogs.
Be afraid, Charlie. People have turned to those they trust more. And it's not you.
Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of truth and knowledge will be shipwrecked by the laughter of the Gods. Albert Einstein
*DITTO*
July 13, 2007 - 10:32 ET by drillanwr*DITTO*
"... focus on gossip
July 13, 2007 - 10:43 ET by IgnatzJFahrquar"... focus on gossip
instead of solid information."
And this is different how from the MSM?
"All generalizations are false, including this one.” Mark TwainParis Hilton & Anna Nic
July 13, 2007 - 10:47 ET by sarcasmoParis Hilton & Anna Nicole Smith coverage are solid information, not gossip, even if coverage eclipses coverage of things like economic matters, I guess. :)
JMR
I'll take a citizen surgeon o
July 13, 2007 - 11:26 ET by mattmI'll take a citizen surgeon over an illegal alien surgeon anyday... And I'll trust anyone outside the MSM before anyone within it. Whiners!
Gibby and Bradlee are a dyin
July 13, 2007 - 11:37 ET by CapitalismRulesGibby and Bradlee are a dying breed and they knows it. Only someone who feels as trapped in the old-school agenda of liberal media as he does would make such a delightfully ludicrious analogy. It's guys like these who want to surgically transplant their ideologies into our brains through the flow of information, but that's a far cry from a real surgeon who saves literal lives, though I'm sure he would never believe it.
Citizen Surgeons Actually Make the News
July 13, 2007 - 11:38 ET by Lame CherryThis joke is typical of the way the MSM skews things. If one realizes that it is citizens who are in every news story as the SOURCE of news, it blows old comrade Bradlee and brother comrade Gibson right out of the water.
A doctor is trained to perform a specific task, but every child in America is trained to type, operate a computer and respond to observation and questions by teachers bleating at them, add coffee shop talk and voila you have reporters as reporters are nothing but malevolent gossips in the last place of life.
If Gibson wanted a joke that worked he should have said, "What do you think about citizen reporters Charlie?
Gibson's answer, "I don't know as I haven't had an original thought since I sold my soul to the devil for this job.....have to check with him first."
*Permission granted to send this to Charlie the jokester Gibson.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Pat Dollard's site is reporti
July 13, 2007 - 13:24 ET by drillanwrPat Dollard's site is reporting:
Leftist Campaign To Block Conservative Websites At Work
http://patdollard.com/2007/07/13/leftist-campaign-to-block-conservative-websites-at-work/#comments
Banning Jihad Watch by Robert Spencerhttp://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=21439
The site looks to be down r
July 13, 2007 - 14:00 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsThe site looks to be down right now, wonder if it's under attack.
D
I don't support our liberals or their mission.
To Mr. Bradlee:I am pretty
July 13, 2007 - 17:10 ET by JungusTo Mr. Bradlee:
I am pretty sure that any surgeon can do a reporter's job. But how many reporters could even attempt to do a surgeon's job? Nice try, too bad for you I know what a strawman is when I see it.
You where asked a simple question and you had to smack the asker dwon in a very condecending way. So, how about I point out that anyone can comment on what they witness in front of them. Well, except for you and your paper at times. Why is it so difficult to tell us the full story most of the time? Like when you whine about gas prices going up, could it be that there is a bottle neck along the line? No of course it is always that Republicans are giving breaks to big oil. Not that Demo(c:n)rats are not allowing new refinerys to be built.
Bloggers can notice this. You cannot. Your reply to the questioner however was informative. You showed that you are afraid of bloggers, irritated at the questioner, and too snobbish to give a decent answer. You also showed no respect.