We Got Them Mad! We Got Them Mad! We Got Them Mad!
The word of the day is: "overreact." As in, bloggers and commentators certainly did overreact to our posting about journalists who blog. Perhaps the words should have been lack-of-comprehension, but we'll give everyone the benefit of the doubt and say they just overreacted.
If one reads our entry about journalist bloggers, it's really pretty clear what we were shooting for. Brian stipulated in the opening that the purpose of this was an exercise in looking at journalists who are writing blogs that "allow them to say what they don't on the air or in print." Perhaps the parameters of this could have been explained a little better, but we thought it was fairly clear. We were trying to demonstrate how many people who are best known as MSM members are now blogging.
Apparently not. Here's what Hugh Hewitt had to say:
"This is really funny. CBS Speaks! And I'm 'right on the line' but don't qualify! Egads. Not up to Brian ('I haven't always been a journalist') Montopoli's measure. Out, out, damn spot."
It seems that Hewitt may have started a little stampede here judging by some of the comments posted to our entry. At no point in the story did we judge these blogs in any way, positive or negative. At no point did we recommend them for their content. We simply pointed out their existence.
Hewitt has always been among those leading the charge in demanding more transparency, openness and humility from the MSM. I confess, I just don't get this one. Is it that hubristic to simply make a list ?
In some ways it's a hat tip to Hewitt and others that so many in the MSM are jumping aboard. This list shows how many MSM-journos are using the blog format.
But in all, well, humility, Public Eye, as far as I know, is the most serious attempt to take on the bigger Hewitt project of openess and accountability. We wish he would have taken the time to engage us in a much more serious manner.
Maybe tomorrow's word of the day can be: "relax."