If Bloggers Aren’t Journalists, Neither Are Many Members of the MSM

Big Journalism ^ | February 1, 2012 | Alicia Cohen

[abb]

Here’s what I had this morning, that has yet to be reported by any other news source in Louisiana. It concerns a potential pay raise for the position of Tax Assessor - every parish (county) in Louisiana has one - and they are well-paid, with the lowest at about $110K/yr.

I think it is news. You may not agree, but I’m the publisher/editor and I get to make that decision.

http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/las-assessors-line-up-at-the-public-tit/
LA’s Assessors Line Up at the Public Tit

http://lincolnparishnewsonline.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/so-how-much-do-they-make-now/
So How Much do They Make Now?

[jessduntno]

You fool. Slander is spoken. This would be called libel, if it were libelous, but you would never be able to prove it and go broke trying.

[bvw]

"Y'all" is a singular form. "All y'all" is the plural. Surely you meant to write:

Maybe all y'all should gets a room and discusses it.

[jessduntno]

“LA’s Assessors Line Up at the Public Tit”

Was it a silicone job or natural? Bets on silicone.

[af_vet_rr]

Bloggers actually are a few steps beneath the MSM.

I have come across plenty of conservative bloggers who are much better than the MSM, who spend the time to source their stories, who don't try to distort the stories or spin them, and who actually care about what they are writing about, as opposed to the MSM who is only concerned with getting a paycheck and protecting Obama.

As a matter of fact, you could take any thread on FR about a particular news item, throw it on a blog, and it would in many ways be superior to the crap that the MSM churns out.

[humblegunner]

Here’s what I had this morning, that has yet to be reported by any other news source in Louisiana

So where did you learn these facts?

Did you go somewhere and ask someone? Or did you read it from another source and recycle it?

Come on, fess up..

[Sam Gamgee]

I am actually unclear why the Press should get special freedoms other Americans don’t enjoy. Why one law for the press and another for the rest of us?

[abb]

Many of the skills that I use every day as a “citizen journalist” were picked up right here at FRee Republic.

[af_vet_rr]

Bloggers actually are a few steps beneath the MSM.

In thinking about it, I never thought I'd see you, of all people, defending the MSM.

But please, continue telling us how superior the MSM is, even as the MSM does it's damnedest to protect Obama and give us Romney as our nominee.

[abb]

If you would read the story, the answer is contained therein. I got a tip from one of my readers. He spotted the notice in a newspaper legal ad and called me. There’s much information “hidden” in newspaper legal ads, concealed by a microscopic font size.

Legal ads are an antiquated procedure whereby governments can pay off newspapers which might otherwise be tempted too poke around and find to many brother-in-law deals. I’ve written about it quite a bit.

[Sam Gamgee]

How ivory tower of you.

[GOPJ]

In the past, many famous and well-respected journalists had no formal training but honed their craft on the job, in many cases beginning their careers as copy boys/copy girls. Walter Cronkite, once cited as the most trusted man in America, was a college dropout who had a series of newspaper jobs reporting news and sports. Eric Sevareid, Chet Huntley, and David Brinkley started their careers as broadcast journalists but never had journalism degrees.

The liberal MSM and liberal judges will make the call - LIBERALS who blog will be called "journalist". Conservatives will NOT be protected or regarded as journalists... They'll be consistent - unfair to us now - unfair in the future.

[humblegunner]

I have not defended the MSM, I’ve simply stated where I think bloggers stand in the lineup.

Let me make an analogy:

I don’t like buzzards.

They eat carrion.

So do maggots.

Maggots eat smaller bites of the carrion.

This does not mean I’m in favor of a buzzard’s diet simply because he takes bigger bites.

[bvw]

sarc

[Sam Gamgee]

Thank You for saying that. I get so sick of the press when it acts as though it deserves some special treatment above and beyond the rest of us pee ons. I would argue if anything the New York Times is much less vulnerable to lawsuits than you or I. They have the financial capacity to weather nuisance lawsuits while a lone blogger does not.

[abb]

I'm actually licensed...

[humblegunner]

So you’re licensed to write about stuff that somebody calls
you and tells you about, or is already written in some newspaper.

According to some simple graphic.

This proves my point. Any indigent smacktard can be a blogger.

Blogs are 94.2% trash.

[Kaslin]

That is great. Congratulations

[abb]

Any indigent smacktard can be a blogger.

Absolutely. And there's a constitutional amendment that protects the practice. It wasn't written to protect popular speech, or cogent thought, or informed writing.

It protects the ravings of lunatics, flag burners, and the writings of bigots. And it even protects citizens from those who would tell us what NOT to read.

Present company excluded, of course...

[FreedomPoster]

Nice. Reminds me of the “Absolution from White Guilt” certificates that a black conservative talk radio host by the name of Ken Hamblin used to have on his web site. This was about a dozen years ago.