How to Lose Credibility on your blog, the Huffington Post way

summer2007 (summer's new blog) | Feb 17, 2007 | summer

[summer]

Re your post #78 - I was thinking more about what you said here - and, as we all know, it can be such a delicate balancing act, keeping the right to free speech in such circumstances as you mention. And, I think you understand what I was saying a bit earlier today; so, thank you for posting.

But what amazes me is how simple a solution it all could have been in this situation of deception I described in that editorial:

(!) first of all, the deception shouldn't have happened, if those forum owners had the integrity to post actual headlines from the actual news article. (Or at least something REMOTELY close to the article content.)

(2) second, it shouldn't have continued, if the forum admins cared about customer service and the complaints of people (in their own party, no less!) who were already distressed by the manipulaion; Nad

(3) third, by the time I saw it, and tried to act in a responsible manner by writing my editorial, and contacting educator experts, all those professors had to do was their job and say to me: Yes, that is an example of media maniplation; here's why in my expert opinion; and, I think I'll post it on my blog and discuss, and maybe show it in a class, since it's SUCH an obvious example of SO MANY things NOT TO EVER DO if you are a journalist or running a forum with "news." THANK YOU for caring about democracy and media matters.

And, if that had happened, I would have thought: Wow! I was correct to put my faith in these professor experts -- since they are educators (like me). Because that's what I would have done (the above) and that's how I would have handled this. Then: End of story.

But, instead, I have to stumble into what feels like a brick wall with them, and find out they have their hands in the financial cookie jar with this company, And so, no, they are never going to do what a professional educator should do and would have done in this situation. So - not the end of story...

But, end of story for me, here. They can be whatever way they want. They have free speech, too, even though I think they should consider their duty as an educator, at least once in a while, as well. It would be great if instead of the right or the left having to keep tabs of media manipulation, the independent professors could take part in this more often, and invite others as well. That is the spirit of open source and blogging and all that is new media. Yet, that was not their spirit in this situation. But, I'll get over it. I'll just chalk it up as Disappointment #100,987,124 with the political left.

[summer]

CFC__VRWC, forgive me for going on and on here, but just to finish my final thoughts on this, above:

And, if that had happened - what I hoped would happen - then, I would be assured that because of their public mention of this, the Huff Post forum would find out, and be SO EMBARASSED the forum would then STOP hurting all those people on threads like the one I read.

But, instead: I get the silence treatment and chill from those professors on this. So: I never know. Does the silence mean they will do nothing and keep their hand in that financial cookie jar pulling out more and more money from this media manipulation? If so, that makes me want to tell the entire universe about this until they STOP IT.

Or, does it mean they will change EVERYTHING about that persistent conduct described by some posters complaining on that thread mentioned in my editorial, so someday normal people might even enjoy visiting that forum? (By "normal" people I mean people who click on a link expecting it to relate to the headline.)

I don't know. And, I won't be going there to find out. So, they lost a visitor, and more, because they could not, for whatever reason, clearly respond for the public good. I would have heard them if they did.

[summer]

I forgot to tell you: I think I will start to write more political humor, like we did that time awhile back. I realize now this is my latest:

A Blogger's 1st Interview

An email interview with one of the world’s most outspoken advocates for the new media’s Citizen Journallst bloggers:

City University of New York’s Media Professor Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine.com blog fame – and featured tonight on the PBS television’s FRONTLINE documentary series on media manipulation, new media and the future of the press, a program called “NEWS WARS”  

Interview by: summer, Citizen Journalist Blogger (and Florida teacher)  and author of a recent editorial: “How to Lose Credibility on Your Blog, the Huffington Post Way” posted on her blog, summer2007.net

---------------------------------------

THE INTERVIEW:

Dear Professor Jeff Jarvis:

Not long ago I posted a link on your blog, and I notice you did leave it up, but you did not respond to it in any way.  The link was to an editorial I wrote about media manipulation at the Huffington Post. I was hoping that as you are at CUNY, you might comment on it, enlighten me, and/or condemn what they did as described in my editorial by me and others…The essay I wrote is linked to your blog below the Romney tv commercial.

I now see from your "Disclosures" page that you are a partner in a news startup with "Huffington Post's Ken Lere."

Does that mean that anything you might say with respect to Huffington Post would be a conflict of interest, and therefore you would never comment on the editorial I wrote?

,,,, I genuinely want to know: …who is watching out for us here on the ground? (Other than Bill O'Reilly who says he "watches out for us.") Is there anyone else? …

--------------

From: Jeff Jarvis

Date: Mon, Feb 26, 2007 6:19 am

To: summer

Re: re quick question

I get many comments and emails and read most but do not recall seeing yours and in any case I do not respond to every comment, so you should read nothing into that.

------------------------------

[summer]

EDITOR'S NOTE to above interview: Professor Jeff Jarvis is available for interviews provided the Citizen Journalist does not ask questions about media manipulation at any of the companies paying him for consulting work --

Currently, this includes: Advance Publications, my former employer; Advance owns Conde Nast, Newhouse Newspapers, Parade, American City Business Journals, Bright House cable, and Advance Internet, where he used to work. Until December 2006, he was consulting regularly for The New York Times Company at its About.com subsidiary. He has consulted for and spoken for groups at The Guardian, VH1, Hearst, The Week, Hill & Knowlton, Burda, Edelman, Publicis/Denou, the BBC, and at various conferences. He is also a partner in Daylife, a news startup, whose investors include The New York Times Company, Craig Newmark, Dave Winer, Michael Arrington, Huffington Post’s Ken Lerer, and others. I have been asked to join the advisory boards of Network2.net, Rayv, Brightcove, Dawntreader, Consenda, and Technorati; advisory boards bring varying amounts of options or payments.

(In his spare time, he is a professor at CUNY.)

[School of Rational Thought]

Huffington had credibility?

[summer]

Despite the typos in the above ("I" should be "he" etc.) , I trust you get the gist of this! :)

[summer]

ROTFLMAO...that was perfect timing, SORT. :)

[summer]

A Blogger's 2nd Interview

(an accurate description of an actual email interview)
Our Citizen Journalist, summer, tries again to get an educator who is a recognized media expert, to denounce the media manipulation at Huffington Post. This interview is with NYU Professor Jay Rosen.

summer: Professor Rosen, enclosed is a link to an editorial I've written, about media manipulation at the Huffington Post. I think it deserves a mention on your blog since both the right and left independent news media have published this editorial.

PR: I don't do links on my blog.

summer: But I am sending it to you pursuant to the instructions you have posted on your blog about sending you a link to post.

PR: Oh. I misunderstood. Then I will link to it. If I should ever happen to write about media manipulation sometime in my next life, as it's a subject I've never heard of before now.

summer: But your entire blog is about media and you always discuss media manipulation. I made a new blog. How about you comment right now?

[PR hurries out the door.]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Although not disclosed on his blog or to summer, Professor Jay Rosen is a paid contributor/writer on the Huffington Post, and therefore may not be available to acknowledge media manipulation at that media entity.


Jay Rosen

HuffPost Bio and headshot for Jay Rosen:

"Jay Rosen has been a member of the journalism faculty at New York University since 1986. From 1999 to 2005 he served as chair of the Department. He lives in New York City.

Rosen is the author of PressThink, a weblog about journalism and its ordeals, which he began in September 2003. In June 2005, PressThink won the Reporters Without Borders 2005 Freedom Blog award for outstanding defense of free expression. [summer: Good grief! He wouldn't even post my link!!!!]

In 1999, Yale University Press published his book, What Are Journalists For?, which was about the rise of the civic journalism movement. Rosen wrote and spoke frequently about civic journalism (also called public journalism) over a ten-year period, 1989-99.

As a press critic and reviewer, he has appeared in numerous magazines and national newspapers, including The Nation, Columbia Journalism Review, the Chronicle of Higher Education, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and others. Online he has written for Salon.com, TomPaine.com and Poynter.org.

A native of Buffalo, NY, Rosen had a very brief career in journalism at the Buffalo Courier-Express before beginning graduate study. He has a Ph.D. from NYU in media studies (1986).

His current project is a book about the press in the Net era, tentatively called GatesKeepers Without Gates. It is to be published by Times Books in 2006."

You better believe there's no gates - these people think they can do whatever they want! Seeing how they win all these awards - Arianna for ETHICS?! And this guy for FREEDOM?! They act like one big giant brick wall. And, they get to speak as if it matters - but they make SURE that others do NOT. It's terrible. Just a JOKE.

[summer]

OK, I'm done ranting. But, add that dean of Columbia, too. Last night he said on Frontline that Citizen Journalists CAN'T POSSIBLY HAVE ANYTHING NEW TO SAY. What an idiot. I think I found just the right image to honor all three of them, from Columbia, NYU, and CUNY - and, what a surprise, I found it on your page, Registered. (It's Mo, Larry and Curly.)

:)

[summer]

I thought I was done here, but --- maybe I am being unfair. To myself. And these professors. I thought I needed them to do good in this matter. But, I don't. Their hands are too tied, to institutions, the media itself, the money, their own careers, their friends who are friends and have more friends in media, etc. All I was looking at was: the content. And, with respect to this Professor Jay Rosen, I've probably written and published more articles than he has in terms of journalism, just on this forum. As for Professor Jeff Jarvis, what does it matter to him if people are being hurt on a forum by media manipulation? He barely has time to teach classes with all his paid media consulting clients. I wrote a good editorial. I knew I did. And, I did. And, on it goes. Those people will get hurt if they go to that forum. So, they should wise up. And stop going there if they want to stop getting hurt. End of story.

[summer]

I also cared about those people getting so stressed out and hurt on that forum, but I've got to stop caring like that. No one who runs that forum cares.

[Prost1]

What do you expect from a woman who caused a man to go queer?

[highlander_UW]

Doesn't the title assume they had credibility in the first place? What delusion would that be based upon?

[summer]

Several people have made that point already. So, I'll just say: "Your" blog is what I was writing about - it could be your blog that does this, so you would lose credibility, too, just like they did.

[summer]

I think there is a larger issue about expectations - just as the press ignored the Foley story, thinking it was not a story. However, voters were outraged by what happened - and, the press was quite shocked at that reaction. I think the press and the people are very different in their expectations and values. Most people would have felt as I did, upon seeing how badly people were treated at that forum. But, the press and its higher ed/educational expert opinion seem to collectively shrug and say: So what.

[summer]

OK, I am over this thread! I should have known just by posting it here on FR, that was probably enough media coverage. Funny how we forget or become caught up in something when we think no one hears us.