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Mark Steyn On Journalism
Thursday, January 13, 2005   By: Juan Paxety

And a few random thoughts

Mark Steyn made his weekly appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show last night, and the topic wound around to journalism.  Steyn remarked that blogging is much bigger in the U.S. than in England because the people who are blogging here would be writing for the newspapers there.  He says the papers seek out writers with strong opinions strongly expressed.

As things do on the Hewitt show, the topic wandered away for a while, but then came back.  Steyn said that most journalists in Britain and Canada got into writing after some great failure in their lives.  He used the example of a man whose father left him a copper mine, but the socialist government nationalized it, and the man wound up in Kenya with three shillings in his pocket.  He took up journalism as a way to live.

In the U.S., journalists think of themselves as professionals, like doctors or lawyers, and try very hard to make it an exclusive club.

I got into journalism by following the great life's failure route. I had practiced law for several years when I suffered a head injury in a automobile accident. I had great difficulty talking and couldn't remember my way out of a wet paper bag.  I couldn't work.  My wife threw me out. I had to move back in with my parents. I found a job as a photographer with a dog TV station, and as I improved, the news director learned that I could write a literate sentence.  I was suddenly a journalist. I worked in newsrooms for 13-years. Maybe my route to the craft of journalism is the reason my views were frequently so different from my co-workers.

Now I work for a video production company - still writing. Still a journalist. Except The Poynter Institute doesn't think so.  Poynter is a chief proponent of the journalist as professional concept. A couple of years ago, my boss suggested I go to a writing conference of some kind to see if I could pick up any new ideas.  I called Poynter as they have a number of workshops in various cities.  The person on the telephone very arrogantly told me that, as an employee of a production company rather than a newsroom, I could not attend his conferences. I could actually hear a little sniff of arrogance at the end of the call. Ha.

This week, you have a number of people - bloggers, columnists, radio talk show hosts - who say the outcome of Rathergate has broadcast journalists quaking in fear of what will happen to them.  I have news for you.  They're not afraid.  Rathergate has not pierced their tight little circle of attention.  They can't imagine something like that happening to them.  They are not smart enough or creative enough.

Doyle at A Cool Change writes about his experience with the press. I like his description of three classes of reporters.  I think most TV reporters fall into category two. Go read it.

  



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