BY DAN
KENNEDY
Serving the reality-based community since 2002.
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Wednesday, April 20, 2005
A MAN AND HIS MEDIA SITE.
Jack Shafer has a smart
commentary in Slate
on how Romenesko's
media site, part of
Poynter.org,
has changed the rules for both journalistic misbehavior and media
criticism. One thing he leaves out, perhaps because it hits too close
to home for him (and me!), is that those of us who write about the
media for a living have grown accustomed to asking ourselves: How
is this going to play on Romenesko? I'm not sure that's entirely
healthy.
Personally, I have two rules: (1)
shamelessly hype my stuff in e-mails to Jim Romenesko, and (2) never
complain if he chooses to take a pass. I have noticed he's not crazy
about linking to blog items, which probably makes sense: there would
be no end of it if he headed down that road.
Shafer writes that Romenesko "never
tips his hand to reveal his views or prejudices." I agree, but not
everyone does. Andrew Sullivan, a frequent critic, has
called
Romenesko "a hard-line liberal who routinely refuses to link to any
conservative media criticism." I don't get it, and I don't think it's
because I'm a hard-line liberal. Shafer certainly isn't.
COSMO LIKES AMORELLO. The
Herald's Cosmo Macero Jr. has a
counterintuitive take (sub.
req.) on embattled Big Dig chief Matt Amorello. According to Macero,
if Governor Mitt Romney gets his way and forces Amorello out, the
result could be a dubious - and possibly even dangerous - method of
repairing the leaks.
As for Howie Carr today ... good
grief. Did you know that state
college presidents make a
lot of money? Howie, you and I might remember who Gerry Indelicato is
- or was - but I'm not sure anyone else does. The problem with
recycling is that you occasionally have to throw something new on top
of the compost heap.
posted at 11:45 AM |
7 comments
|
link
7 Comments:
Right you are Dan. Howie has been mailing it in for years.
Sullivan's critique is an accurate one, Dan. I'll give you some examples you can check yourself:
1. He was ridiculously late on the Dan Rather thing. When ABC News broke the documents story in the mainstream press, Romenesko did not link to them. In fact, he waited several days until it was unavoidable.
2. He did not cover the Eason Jordan controversy until it was over.
3. He DID cover the editorial decisions revolving around the Trent Lott affair as they popped up a few years ago.
He is selective in his links. You might say he is biased in favor of mainstream journalism. That's fine. But mainsteam journalists share (in the words of Herbert Gans, in "Deciding What's News") a "para-ideology" that is generally "progressive." (You're becoming an academic, Dan. Notice I didn't quote a loony like S. Robert Lichter here. Gans is a well-respected Columbia University Sociologist - not a right-wing nutjob).
DK
1. God Bless you for having the stones to admit you're a proud liberal. We see most things differently but I admire your candor. It's why you have more credibility than many of your "progressive" peers.
2. Point well-taken about Howie but keep in mind that many of the hacks (from both sides of the aisle) never in fact leave. Guys like Indelicato aren't on the state payroll any more, directly or as low-profile contractors, due to felony convictions, but many of their pals are. I think Howie's point is "how can we miss them if they won't go away?"
To Bake McBride -
I think I did say Romenesko favors mainstream journalism - I noted that he's reluctant to link to blog items. If Sullivan had said that, I wouldn't have disagreed with him.
But I have never discerned any liberal bias on Romenesko's part. Calling his preference for mainstream journalism a form of liberal bias, I think, is too much of a stretch.
Does anyone embody the ethical and moral corruptness of today's media elites more than Andrew Sullivan? Professionally, the man is a liar and personally he's a pig. We'll know journalists have finally grown up when they stop paying attention to the likes of Andy and start paying attention to the grunts out there doing serious reporting and commentary.
Nelson, Roslindale
Oops, wrong link. Andy's life as a pig can be found here and here.
Nelson, Roslindale
Jeez Nelson, talk about more than I needed to know....(and it took 20 min. to find what was taken out of context)..
MEDIA LOG ARCHIVES
Dan Kennedy is senior writer and media critic for the Boston Phoenix.
