Alot of Things Aren't Journalism

Every time a news story comes on about OJ Simpson I don't just change the channel, I turn the TV off. This is not news. The OJ dispute over sports memorabilia might be local news in Las Vegas, it might even be a sidebar sports story but - he is not Canadian, he is not in any kind of position of power, he is not even interesting. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago he was a good football player - and that's it. Continuing to air or publish updates on his case is cheap sensationalism.

Sure, OJ is just one of many possible examples of this kind of thing in the Canadian press. Many good and worthwhile stories get ignored so that pointless stories about people who are famous for being famous can run - but I wanted to mention it this time if only so I could make the following point:

I keep reading editorials, speeches etc., by journalists who are concerned about the blurring of the line between blogging and journalism. Bloggers, according to most journalists, are not bloggers but here's a news flash - the public doesn't care. They don't care if you went to journalism school, they don't care who you work for, they don't even care much how long you've been doing it. Journalism, after all, is not an ancient and revered profession. The first journalism school anywhere was founded in Missouri in 1908. (100 years ago next year). That means there are people still alive who remember a time before J schools - hardly ancient history. Before that all journalism was done by people who specialized in something else.

So - if you are a journalist, working for a major media organization and are worried about the integrity of your profession, about the reputation of the title 'journalist' or about the blurring of the lines between professionals and amatures , then please STOP LOWERING THE BAR.