Rambling Rhodes

Who Is Stephen A. Smith, And Why Is He Such An Idiot?

It's been awhile since I've seen a good rant against bloggers/ThunderJournalists by someone in the hallowed realm of established, "respected," journalism. BUT HERE'S A DOOZY:

==On if he considers going back to newspapers, or whether it's a dying industry:

"I don't believe that. All the newspaper industry has to do is connect itself better with the Internet and guess what? People will read the newsaper on the Internet, not rely so much on the paper copy and get with the Internet age more so than it has. The foundation of the newspaper business... should never die. We shoud do all we can possible to make sure it lives in perpetuity because it’s extremely important with everything. It keeps radio and television on their ps and qs.

Okay, so far, I'm following him. I don't think he's EXACTLY right, necessarily, but he's at least being reasonable. Then there's this:

"And when you look at the Internet business, what’s dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses.

That's right, they're clearly unqualified to have and voice their opinions. There's a qualifying exam given by each state that you must pass to earn your opinion certification. It comes with a plaque.

I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is ...someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can.

Respecting the journalism industry, while completely pissing on the First Amendment. That's a neat twist.

They are not trained. Not experts.

Experts in what, exactly? Some of the most informative and authoritative blogs on niche topics like "underwater small engine maintenance" run absolute rings around what passes for "expertise" in the journalism and newspaper world. Most newspaper reporters learn a little bit about a topic in a day or a week, maybe interview a few people who are actual experts, and then they write and file a story which is generally correct in a big picture sort of way, but woefully incomplete and sparse on the details. The main thing journalists are "experts" at is crafting an interesting written final product. If the reader wants to learn more, the Web awaits, chock full of actual experts.

More important are the level of ethics and integrity that comes along with the quote-unqoute profession hasn’t been firmly established and entrenched in the minds of those who’ve been given that license.

Oh, hang your ethics and integrity bullcrap already. Where's the "ethics" behind chasing behind a firetruck to get a story about a local blaze and hopefully a front page image? I've done it, and there's no ethics or integrity involved. It's about getting a good story and a good picture and, as a result, hopefully selling more newspapers. Many bloggers have just as much, if not more, ethics and integrity than a lot of journalists. Then there's me, who just enjoys the freedom to post a picture of my butt online.

"Therefore, there’s a total disregard, a level of wrecklessness that ends up being a domino effect.

Really? Like, where?

And the people who suffer are the common viewers out there and, more importantly, those in the industry who haven’t been fortunate to get a radio or television deal and only rely on the written word. And now they’ve been sabotaged.

Sabotaged! By bloggers! Common plebian scribes! Awash in literary cooties, they are! Mere pretenders to the journalism throne, hacking away at the knees of those more worthy! Man, this guy needs a good cock punching.

Not because of me. Or like me. But because of the industry or the world has allowed the average joe to resemble a professional without any credentials whatsoever."

Like, A MAJOR cock punching. The kind of cock punch where the testicles have to be jammed back down the throat with a plunger.

Posted by Ryan at December 5, 2007 02:28 PM | TrackBack