Why are journalists so bad, you ask?

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Paid liars, character assassins, reductionists, cynics disguised as cloying sentimentalists, sentimentalists disguised as cynics, drunks, hacks, collusionists with public relations racketeers, misinformants, propagandists, petty, provincial, blinkered, disipated & disappointed, self-loathing hypocrites all.

― , Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

why shouldn't you blame the messenger?

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But I like it that way!

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think they're OK. It's wannabe journalists I can't stand.

― N., Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fair point. These things can be seen as positive attributes though. No, really.

― Anna, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(I actually love them in real life, especially stereotypes like Christiane Amanpour and Lou Grant. I've been trying to generate some Dave Q-like controversy lately but no-one takes me seriously.)

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Perhaps you should remove the cute widdle bunny ears.

― Dan Perry, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You missed out chain-smoking from the land of stereotype.

― Anna, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Perhaps you should remove the cute widdle bunny ears.

ARGH. Can anyone find the Frank Kozik/Melvins art with a bunny in a Hitler outfit? I so wanted to post it here...

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

what? i'm hitler now?

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

A different bunny perhaps:

http://www.hinternet.de/musik/intrview/images/smokin.gif

― Samantha, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

it's wannabe journalists I cant stand

Yes damn those bastards.

― Ronan, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That one's just as entertaining. ;-) The bunny painting in question is from the Melvins' Electroretard CD -- oh, for a scanner in the office, since I have the very disc with me as I type.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I like the "smoking bunny" since it actually looks like he's sucking crap through a straw.

― Samantha, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

hey samantha did you go see the deadly snakes play in dallas recently? I heard they were great in austin.

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've been trying to generate some Dave Q-like controversy lately but no-one takes me seriously.

Well, Fritz, in order to generate controversy, you have to make a controversial comment. None of the adjectives that you used to describe journalists in the header are controversial, they're merely descriptive and truthful. American journalism has become an open sewer.

Me, I'm just glad that there's a "profession"* that's even more widely hated and reviled than mine. Considering all the lawyer- bashing that goes on, that's quite an accomplishment.

* -- I have a big problem with calling journalism a "profession" where there appear to be few, if any, real qualifications one must have to be a journalist and where discipline for egregious misconduct is non-existent. When I start reading about "disbarred journalists," I'll start referring to journalism as a "profession" without retching.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think having a journalism degree, or in many cases a Masters in same pretty much qualifies as professional status, Tadeusz. There's even a law component. And anyway, am I envisioning a situation where you'd dare say that to the face of anyone who'd won a reportage Emmy or a Pulitzer? Those people do a very difficult job, often because they're trying to educate you or warn you about new forms of corruption.

Me, I just interview Moby and I don't pretend it's rocket science.

― suzy, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

tad you're a LAWYER!!

― ethan, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

on no! FITE! oh NO!!

― Dan Perry, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, Suzy, for me the crux of the problem is the difference in what happens when I fuck up and when a journalist fucks up. If I fuck up, I (or, more accurately, my firm) can get sued for malpractice. If I really fuck up, I can get disbarred. By fucking up, I mean mostly acting unprofessionally or unethically. The ethical canons may not be all that strictly enforced, but they do exist and believe me, lawyers do worry about being disciplined by the relevant Bar authorities.

What happens when journalists fuck up really badly, pushing stories with little or no merit or engage in unethical conduct? How many journalists were sanctioned in any way for the mess that was the Clinton impeachment? Yes, journalists can get sued for defamation, but that's really difficult to do especially when the subject is deemed to be a "public figure." So that's really not all that effective a deterrent on slanted, inaccurate coverage.

As for dissing Pulitzer- and Emmy-award winners, I'd have no problem at all with dissing someone like Maureen Dowd, who won a Pulitzer and is little more than a glorified gossip-columnist. How she got onto the New York Times editorial page is truly beyond me.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fritz, alas the Snakes did not play here this roundabout since the bar they played at last time left a bad time in their mouth. I do heart the deadly snakes tremednously. Loved them live and we spin their disc constantly around the house.

Hank did see them in Austin last weekend and liked them much more sans Greg Oblivion as they weren't quite so *rock*. Hank has a mancrush on the Snakes, I do believe.

― Samantha, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Samantha: Yeah, I've heard that they're kind of different-but-good w/o Greg O. Too bad they skipped Dallas on you. Sorry to ask here, but seems like you and Hank are the only other folks on ILM & ILE who like them, so I was curious if you caught them on this tour.

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tad: I don't think that a Bar system would work for journalists (heh heh). The truth is subjective. The freedom the press has is abused but better that than sanctioning what people can and can't say. Which is not to say that there aren't legal limits (libel & defamation laws), as I'm sure you well know.

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tad: I don't think that a Bar system would work for journalists (heh heh). The truth is subjective.

Fritz, I actually agree somewhat. Esp. since one of the First Amendment's primary purposes is to protect journalism. Granted, state regulation of any profession faces constitutional problems, so it's not totally unique to journalism. On the other hand, the legal profession is largely self-policing (although with the oversight of a given state's court system). In that sense, there's no reason that journalists can't have some sort of self- policing mechanism that protects the public from unscrupulous practices without unduly infringing upon the Constitution.

Anyway, I didn't mean any of my comments to be a personal attack on Suzy, so I apologize if what I said offended her. There are good journalists, who do vital work; and there are bad journalists, who sully their trade.

― Tadeusz Suchodolski, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

O.K., yes I have a mancrush on the Deadly Snakes. My other band, A feast of Snakes, pure coincidence that we're on the same label (ITR) got to play with them the last time they came around with Greg and it was awesome, except Greg broke his guit and so did the other guitarist so they couldn't play anymore, but I saw them at sound exchange in austin last weekend and they made me move all around and jump up and down with joy. they have a truckfull of soul and I would almost swear by the swagger in thier voice and the swagger in thier music that they weren't from canada, no offense intended. They played alot more this time and the keyboardist sang some more and had a self contained leslie. I talked to them quite a bit after and they seemed to want to get more away from the guitar rock sound, which is fine. He said they wanted to be considered more of a horns and keyboard band. the amount of guitar is perfect the way it weaves in and out and just cuts right through exactly where it needs to. I am not your soldier anymore, but I am thiers. withouot a doubt The Best Band I saw this weekend and that includes alot of them, not to minimize my love of the others but this band really does it for me. It's almost like I felt when I first heard Jack 'o fire, like rediscovering music again. They're not that complicated, but they work together beautifully and I could hear everything perfect. Everyone there was dancing thier asses off and singing along. They are a true positive force in the world of soul punk with expansive boundries as far as I can see. I don't fancy myself a writer either, so please don't accuse me of that. I'm just trying to get accross what a powerful effect they have live. -H

― Deadman, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

thanks, hank. you're nuts - great writin'. sounds like it was a good show. It still seems weird to me that they never get any press. Maybe because all journalists are scumbags (just to keep this somehow related to the thread).

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

B-but Suzy writes about Moby.... Surely there is an ethical line crossed there.

― Pete, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is that a new album actually coming out from the Bald One? What's with the shit-eating look he has on the cover?

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"thanks, hank. you're nuts - great writin'. sounds like it was a good show. It still seems weird to me that they never get any press. Maybe because all journalists are scumbags (just to keep this somehow related to the thread). "

-Your welcome. and I just might be nuts. Thanks for the compiment, but my mother was an English teacher and I'm sure she would chop me writing into little bitty pieces. I don't care much for punctuation. I love words though. As far as the journalist thing goes, here in Dallas there is no such category in the weekly for Garage/Punk Soul/Punk etc.. If you don't have a name like 'Bowling For Soup', 'Doosu' etc.., then you don't get recognised as anything but "other". I guess that's okay, I don't mind not being categorized. I just wish people who deserved it would get more press. I mean, shit..Educate the Masses man!! isn't that the purpose? The Deadly Snakes definitely deserve it. can I get a Witness?!!!

― Deadman, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

testify, hank, testify!

― fritz, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pay attention at the back, there, Ptee, I've known Moby since college so it was interesting to me.

― suzy, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So there I was lurking away, considering whether ILE had become too pally, lah de dah, when – imagine my surprise -- along comes a big long string of nasty adjectives bashing us hacks. Ouch.

So here’s the deal, Tadeusz. If you’re a journalist in Britain or America and you really fuck up, yes, you can go to prison. If you’re a journalist in, say, Iran, Azerbaijan, Zimbabwe and you even slightly piss off the wrong person, much, much worse things can happen. And if you’re an American journalist going about your work in Pakistan, well you know the rest. D'you reckon many American lawyers get their throats cut at work? Journalism is an international business. Lots of it is shite. And lots of it is vital.

My name’s Jane and I’m a dissipated, disappointed, cynical old drunk. Hello.

― Jane, Friday, 22 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hi Jane! I like you!

― Kim, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've known Moby since college so it was interesting to me.

STOP KNOWING PEOPLE

― N., Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Websters says a profession is both "one of a limited number of occupations or vocations involving special learning and carrying a certain social prestige" and also "any vocation or occupation".

I'm confused.

― Chris, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

why are lexicographers so bad?

― mark s, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

N. - LEAVE ME ALONE.

― suzy, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

is it time for the robot reporter?

― geeta, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

get this party started

― geeta, Saturday, 23 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

seventeen years pass...

lol Business Insider doesn't know the outsider stuff

https://splinternews.com/editor-in-chief-of-major-news-website-just-learned-how-1835120977

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 30 May 2019 20:49 (seven years ago)

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