Comments on: On journalism

By: simalex2000

simalex2000 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:42:23 +0000

i know! let's all criticize the writer's ability to write, without considering what the writer is actually saying!

and that period goes inside the parenthesis, petra.

By: simalex2000

simalex2000 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:37:10 +0000

this is a ridiculous post. so full of logical fallacies it's impossible to take seriously. i'm glad not-so-grizzled veteran is "tough enough" to write articles for a dead medium.

newspapers. are. dead.

thank god.

By: simalex2000

simalex2000 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:42:23 +0000

i know! let's all criticize the writer's ability to write, without considering what the writer is actually saying!

and that period goes inside the parenthesis, petra.

By: simalex2000

simalex2000 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:37:10 +0000

By: Josh Loftin

Josh Loftin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:16:01 +0000

During my time as a reporter and editor, I have worked with many aspiring journalists (interns, new hires). Your sentiments nailed what they told me, even the ones who stuck it out. Journalism is losing a lot of good, young minds, and those who stay with it are doing so by making numerous ethical and professional concessions. It's a shame.

Also, ignore the copy editing vultures. Your post should be distributed to every aspiring journalist, if only as a word of caution. The errors don't detract from the point.

By: Back Road Gonzo « Route 89

Back Road Gonzo « Route 89 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:02:16 +0000

[...] 20-somethings into the profession (for their take on journalism’s current state, read this great post at Endemic—yes, he has limited journalism experience, but sounds like a grizzled veteran). Our [...]

By: Bradley Fikes

Bradley Fikes — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:39:50 +0000

Lindsay Keir,
Without readers, we are nothing. And as you pointed out, that old arrogant disregard for readers is still alive in the legacy media. That disregard has hastened the economic decline, because readers are so dissatisfied with the superficial and biased reporting in even the most supposedly respectable news outlets.

By: lindsay_keir

lindsay_keir — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:56:16 +0000

Amazing that journalism is blaming the economic side. Stop to think about overwhelming culture of “accountability journalism”. I blame the editors who have corrupted journalism with their egotistical opinions, as some real journalists have complained in alternate media. I actually don't care about your opinion. From a well-written and fair factual article I'll form my own, thank you very much. Sure you can tell me your opinion – put it in as a concluding paragraph, not as the main concept. Or put the word OPINION in the title. Anything but replacing the facts with your, or the editors, opinion. Criticise my wording all you like – I'm a reader, not a writer, not even a professional.

By: Bradley Fikes

Bradley Fikes — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:44:23 +0000

You're right to leave journalism as a full-time job if you don't have a single-minded motivation and willingness to take some severe hardship, at least for the beginning of your career. I started in the mid-80s, and it was also difficult back then. For a year I got $130 a week, which only worked because I lived with my mother.

I don't blame you for being angry at the uncalled-for snark, but there is a grain of truth in those comments. You've only been in journalism for a few years, so some of your comments are rather jarring to those of use with decades in the field.

Finally, journalism's problems are not just on the business side. There's also a real, justified public distrust in journalism as inaccurate and having an agenda. We need to work on bridging that credibility gap.

By: Patrick Thornton

Patrick Thornton — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:27:04 +0000

Yay the bitter brigade showed up! Thanks guys. I was wondering when we would hear from the very people who ruined newspapers.

By: Petra

Petra — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:20:55 +0000

“For now, journalism is just beginning its trek underground, searching for a ray of light and fresh air.”
–Still wrong. Please somebody help this “professional journalist”

By: Petra

Petra — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:17:47 +0000

“I started as a professional journalist in 2006.”
–No, you started working as a journalist in 2006. You were not instantly a “professional” (especially judging by the quality of what you've written here).

“If I’m going to be involved with journalism, it will be focused on the future of journalism, not what journalism was. BeatBlogging.Org doesn’t have anywhere near full-time funding, and I don’t know how much longer we’ll have money for.”
–Nice, spot the error in each sentence.

“I don’t regret anything.”
–I'll bet you regret not copyediting this piece before you posted it!

By: The Enlightened Redneck » The Journalism Depression

The Enlightened Redneck » The Journalism Depression — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:57:14 +0000

[...] Journalism Depression Posted on 12.19.09 by Danny Glover @ 12:57 pm Here is the latest installment in a seemingly endless series of personal stories about the troubles of the profession I love [...]

By: Harry J. Balsac

Harry J. Balsac — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:07:43 +0000

You might have done better in journalism if you had mastered the basics, like the proper use of the word “it's.”

By: Hythloday

Hythloday — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:01:30 +0000

“For now, journalism is just beginning it’s trek underground, searching for a ray of light and fresh air. I needed a break from that long, dark trek.”

No great loss to journalism if this sample is typical of your calibre. Avoid metaphors if you don't know how to use them!