Apparently, YouTube doesn't think that a conservative journalist has anything to say to help all you budding citizen journalists out there. A glance at the denizens of the Old Media offered up as journalism experts on the Internet video giant will show a long list of well known lefties with not a single center or center right professional in the mix.
On April 30, YouTube set up a channel dedicated to a sort of how-to instruction manual or an online media 101 class that folks interested in becoming citizen journalists can watch to help them learn some of the tricks of the Media trade. Ostensibly, this will help the average, every day blogger present his work in a more professional way. This is a great idea, by the way. Many blogs could use some tips on better writing and presentation, interview skills, and video presentation if not an occasional editor -- and I should know on that last one!
But it seems that no one that represents the center-right in the world of journalism seems to qualify as an expert as far as Google's YouTube is concerned. Going to the main page will reveal a whole bunch of lefty jurnos offering you their help. Not only do we get the advice from the heavily left-slanted Chris Cillizza, NPR or Katie Couric, but YouTube even offers "advice" from AlJazeera's Riz Kahn, for Pete's sake!
Imagine, AlJazeera on journalistic professionalism!
Check out this long list of lefties:
Katie Couric Bob Woodward Nicholas Christoff NPR's Scott Simpon The Associated Press Tavis Smiley Bloomberg's Lizzie O'Leary The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza Time Magazine Newsweek Reuters Dana Milbank Michael Isikoff AlJazeera
But the worst of the bunch, as least as far as supposedly getting advice on being a professional journalist is concerned, is the YouTube offering of "Arianna Huffington on Citizen Journalism." I mean, "citizen" she may be, but "journalist," she ain't. Success does not guarantee professionalism. Accordingly Arinna has lots of success yet has yet to inculcate one shred of professionalism at Huffington Post.
In any case, one wonders why there is no offering from a Michael Barone, John Stossel, George Will, Brit Hume, or any number of center right journalists? Presumably, YouTube never asked any of these folks for their advice, the lefties being all YouTube was interested in hearing from.
I guess no center-right journalist could possibly be "professional," eh?
(H/T Earl F. Glynn)