Feuding between the MSM and the blogosphere

by Adam J. Morris on Nov 4, 2007 2:04 PM CST in News

It is slow right now in the baseball world, so I thought I'd highlight a sudden flareup in the intermittent war between the MSM and the blogosphere...

Chris McCosky, Pistons beat reporter for the Detroit News, rips bloggers yesterday. Along with the usual "sitting in their pajamas in their parent's basement" meme that is inevitably leveled, there are some more direct, and specific, attacks:

Journalism employs trained professionals. We actually have to go to school for this stuff. We take our jobs seriously. There are rules and standards that we are beholden to. There are ethics involved. We actually talk to, in person, the people we write about. If we rip somebody in an article, you best be sure most of us will confront that person the next day and take whatever medicine we need to take.

With blogging and Web sites, it seems the hard work, standards, accountability, courage all of that is bypassed. Who needs to study this stuff, or attend games, or conduct interviews when you can just sit in your basement and clack out whatever comes through your head, right? If I rip somebody, or if I get something wrong, who cares? Nobody will see me.

A lot of times these bloggers use the work of legitimate reporters. They will lift facts and segments of stories and cut and paste them onto their blog. Rarely, if ever, though, do they bother to credit the source.

They will write something like, "I am hearing the Pistons are going to start Antonio McDyess this year." Well, wonder where you "heard" that. It was reported in the darn newspaper. Yet, the same blogger will go out of their way to ridicule the source they stole from.

Several Detroit blogs have responded, with our friend Ian at Bless You Boys having one of the most measured, reasoned, calm responses, and offering a pretty thorough Fisking of McCosky's article.

The Detroit Tigers Webblog gets a little more pissy about it, I think.

And Detroit Sports Rag goes apepoop over it, as they are apparently the specific target of McCosky (and have a history with him), complete with lots of words I don't say but that rhyme with stunt, and with our old manager's first name.

DSR's complaint about McCosky is really a pretty familiar one...that he, as the beat writer, has gotten so cozy with the organization, and so reliant on his relationship with those in power with the team for his information, that he's incapable of being anything other than a mouthpiece for the organization.

I don't know the history, so I can't so one way or the other, although DSR apparent has broken at least one story, and thus does "report" in the traditional sense, unlike most bloggers (including us here at LSB...zywica and I offer analysis, commentary, opinions, thoughts, and the like, but I don't think either of us really report (or claim to report) anything...)

Anyway, an interesting little brushfire out there, I think.

Really, though, the whole MSM v. blogosphere thing is overblown...while you've got the FJMs and the Instapundits, whose existence seems to be, in large part, to act as a foil to the MSM and carp about their flaws and biases and inaccuracies at any opportunity, I think there's more a symbiotic relationship between the two. The existence of good beat writers in the Metroplex makes what I do a lot easier, since they have access I don't have (and don't particularly want to have).

And blogs -- be they LSB, the NMLR, Mavs Moneyball, Blogging the Boys, or whatever -- increase interest in the team and ultimately end up driving traffic back to the coverage provided by the MSM outlets.

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"Trained professionals"

I graduated with a BS in Journalism. It's pretty ridiculous for McCosky to act like he holds an advantage over bloggers just because he's "educated".

In fact, I'll give you a run down of what I learned:

Buy an AP style book. Commas and punctuation are different for newspaper print (compared to MLA standards).
Learn the difference between the active and passive voice.
Read up on some media law and the FOIA.

Congratulations. You're now as trained as McCosky. What an absurd argument.

by chief on Nov 4, 2007 2:10 PM CST 0 recs

LOL

Yep. The idea that someone has to complete a four-year program in journalism in order to be granted access to the lofty title of "professional writer" is absurd, to say the least.

I took two journalism classes in college, have a minor in English, and worked for a local music magazine for three years as a writer and editor. I contributed a chapter to a book on Tourette Syndrome (which is available on Amazon) and have had several poems published. I've also been a columnist and editor for Rotojunkie for over six years, and have contributed to four editions of our fantasy baseball guide.

It's not a BS in journalism, but I'm pretty confident in my qualifications to write and make a little money for my efforts.

"Then I met some friends for a beer, went to a BoDeans's concert, and son of a vondruke, if I didn't leave him at the concert hall."

by RCCook on Nov 4, 2007 2:29 PM CST up 0 recs

Yep

And FWIW, Rob's work is good. I was a one year journalism major at CU, changed to broadcast media at Indiana State (because it was a better and more reputable department), and edited night news at WBOW while there. Have written two industry texts on project managment and structuring strategic plans, not seen in any public offering.

And I know I don't write well enough or carefully enough to blog.

Credentials are only credentials when valued within a particular vocational community. Sorry, but that's the operative fact.

Is the stimulus for anti-blog, anti-internet really fear of loss of stature and income, way down at its' roots?

Heh.

'At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money and we don't have any.' Erk Russell / Georgia Southern

by Ed Coffin on Nov 4, 2007 2:58 PM CST up 0 recs

Thanks

For the compliment. :)

As for your comments, this one really stuck out:

"Is the stimulus for anti-blog, anti-internet really fear of loss of stature and income, way down at its' roots?"

That's what I've always thought.

"Then I met some friends for a beer, went to a BoDeans's concert, and son of a vondruke, if I didn't leave him at the concert hall."

by RCCook on Nov 4, 2007 3:17 PM CST up 0 recs

Fear

I agree with both of you. Fear and insecurity are at the heart of any attack like this. I'd be fine with MSM guys holding bloggers to a high standard of reporting or commentary, but making attacks on their character or level of education just makes the attacker look small.

This winter's hot stove will resemble an Easy-Bake oven.

by t ball on Nov 4, 2007 10:24 PM CST up 0 recs

The thing that troubles me the most

about professional journalists is that while they have their journalism degree many do not have any expertise in the field they are covering. In many cases a guy who majored in journalism and art history might be the papers reporter on something else such as education, sports, or science. I definitely appreciate the good work that many reporters do, but a hell of a lot are unqualified hacks who just repeat talking points.

Early in my graduate career (doctoral candidate in higher education) I took a class that where the professor wanted us to research articles in the paper along with the traditional journal articles. On a whim I decided to look into the credentials of the education writers at one paper in particular and not a single person was qualified to write about the topics of their "expertise". As a result, they only parroted someone elses ideas and didn't understand the ramifications of the policies they were expousing.

by gp on Nov 4, 2007 5:16 PM CST up 0 recs

It's not...

...just happening in the sports blogosphere: political bloggers are targeted too...

"Red Sox = Evil Empire 2.0" -MR

by RangerMoto on Nov 4, 2007 3:47 PM CST up 0 recs

MSM? Nah, TM --> Traditional Media

The traditional media (newspapers, television, radio, magazines, etc.) really isn't mainstream anymore. Blogs and people-powered journalism are that emerging medium that's more in the mainstream these days.

Really it should be referred to as Traditional Media, not MSM. MSM is now a misnomer.

"Red Sox = Evil Empire 2.0" -MR

by RangerMoto on Nov 4, 2007 3:14 PM CST 0 recs

Adam

you're such a phony.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Nov 4, 2007 4:48 PM CST 0 recs

Web 2.0

There has been a lot of talk about how it's affecting older business, i.e. if you go to a blog before a news-site Web 2.0 wins. Same with P2P harming numerous industries, music, movies, software, even the adult industry was caught off-guard and is struggling.

Other examples of Web 2.0: Google, Youtube, wikipedia, etc.

If there is one lawyer in town, he goes broke. If there are two, they both get rich

by Taylor on Nov 4, 2007 5:24 PM CST 0 recs

Ax to grind

I too have a journalism degree. One the basic thing s they taught you was; always report the news, never create the news, and you are never the news. Once you loose your objectivity, you've lost everything. Now you see entire papers with political addendas. If I had turned in stories that you read all over the place today, I would have flunked out of the journalism school.

As a matter of fact, the school I attended totally shut down their journalism school because it had become to liberal and lost its objectivity. And with the tenured professors the only way they could get rid of them was to shut the whole thing down.

Glad to Be Richie's Dad

by imrichiesdad on Nov 4, 2007 10:11 PM CST 0 recs

back to that liberal media bias myth

again that the great liar Ron Reagan started?

by gp on Nov 4, 2007 10:30 PM CST up 0 recs

Concur

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Nov 6, 2007 9:08 PM CST up 0 recs

Oh, and no public university can

fire tenured professors unless they can prove financial exigency (either the colleges or the departments) and must close the department down or they can prove that the professor was grossly negligent in their duties or they can prove that the professor violated the moral terpitude clause. In no way can one's political leaning be used to determine who stays and goes. A university or college cannot close departments down just to get rid of tenured professors. In a nutshell, I don't believe what you just stated.

by gp on Nov 4, 2007 10:36 PM CST up 0 recs

You would have flunked anyway

if your spelling and grammar are any indication.

Let's fix your little missive, with changes I've made in bold.

I too have a journalism degree. One of the basic things they taught you was: always report the news, never create the news (comma deleted) and you are never the news. Once you lose your objectivity, you've lost everything. Now you see entire papers with political agendas. If I had turned in stories like you read all over the place today, I would have flunked out of the journalism school.

As a matter of fact, the school I attended totally shut down its journalism school because it had become too liberal and lost its objectivity. And with the tenured professors the only way they could get rid of them was to shut the whole thing down.

Also, I should mention that newspaper writers only put one space between sentences.

the school I went to required prospective journalism students to take the Department Qualification Exam. A score of 70 or better is a prerequisite to be allowed into the entry-level classes. I blasted through the test in about five minutes and scored a 90. I've also learned more since then.

by Inkara1 on Nov 5, 2007 12:00 PM CST up 0 recs

Journalists...

they're so objective! "My ex-boyfriend is a serial killer... I think."

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22700870-5001028,00.html

by benmor78 on Nov 5, 2007 12:00 AM CST 0 recs

Fear and desperation

The bothersome claim by McCosky is that because he has a journalism degree, his writing deserves more credence than the writing of bloggers. Taking AJM for example, as a fellow attorney, his career is partially based on gathering facts and conveying those in written form. Journalists don't have that corner marketed. Granted, they may have press passes and access to players, but that fact may be the very reason they lose their objectivity.

I've basically abandoned main stream media for various reasons. I don't get my local paper, because I just don't have the time to read it. DirecTV screwed me out of local channels, so I don't get the network news (I wouldn't watch it anyhow). The only thing I do for general news is I listen to NPR, because that way I can do two things at once by listening to it while working. However, I do go to LSB and few other sites for sports news. The reason is, I rely on these people (bloggers) to sort the wheat from the chaff concerning main stream media's information. I think that's the cause of McCosky's fear. Good bloggers ignore the hacks and make those hacks (and their 2.0 GPA journalism degrees) obsolete. Except for Poochie. AJM loves Poochie.

I hate Adam so much. <Sharky>

by WyoRanger on Nov 5, 2007 12:22 AM CST 0 recs

The big problem with Journalists

is that they think they hold some advantage on analysis or commentary. They don't. Quite frankly a lot of them just aren't as good as it as some of the Lawyers and Doctors and other bloggers out there.

The only journalists who might have an advantage is a beat guy, and their access to information. The Galloways, Cowlishaws and other commentators have absolutely no advantages over the blogger. Bloggers sometimes watch more games than these guys, who have checked out of most day to day sports watching.

"I promise, if elected, I will crush the state of Georgia" - Stephen Colbert www.colbert08.org

by DJCahill on Nov 5, 2007 1:31 AM CST 0 recs

Another comparison

At times, information worth digesting comes from comments in a blog or forum. Those bits seldom if ever appear in a traditional media column.

There is something to be said for the print media's verification process, but that same process can leave out unverified truths as well.

I think in addition to the fear and tarnish factors, the hired journalists also may feel (rightly or wrongly) they are held to stricter standards and somehow disadvantaged.

'At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat. That costs money and we don't have any.' Erk Russell / Georgia Southern

by Ed Coffin on Nov 5, 2007 11:10 AM CST 0 recs

Trades

Trade Wilk & Laird for better beer prices....

by phanhandlecholo on Nov 5, 2007 1:19 PM CST 0 recs

Surprisingly...

McCosky speaks the truth.

This guy, and this guy went to college to perfect their literary craft. Of course this is according to their Wikipedia pages, which were probably written by bloggers and can't be trusted.

On that note, Chris doesn't appear to have a Wikipedia page. We can probably infer quite a bit from that.

---
How've you been Adam/Zywica/Ben?

by krushcuts on Nov 5, 2007 2:57 PM CST 0 recs