Courier soundly canes PT

Today's Courier editorial ("Responsibility has a place in blogs, too") soundly canes PT for the initial posting concerning GOSSIP ABOUT RUMORS OF DEATH THREATS against Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs.

The Courier took care to note the differences between the blogosphere and the mainstream media. Bloggers are, indeed, as the editorial points out, "left to their own devices and consciences in deciding what is tossed out TO THE MASSES." (Was that a whiff of elitism PT just detected?)

The Internet is bringing about a clash of paradigms.

Recently, Slate magazine's Jack Shafer reviewed W. Joseph Campbell's "The Year That Defined American Journalism: 1897 and the Clash of Paradigms".

In his review, "The Great Press War of 1897", Shafer notes three paradigms Campbell outlines:

• The New York Times' "just the facts m'am" (Ochs)
  
  
• The New York Journal's "journalism of action" (Hearst)
  
  
• The New York Commercial Advertiser's "story behind the story" anti-journalism (Steffens)
  

Lincoln Steffens and the Advertiser are long forgotten, but Shafer argues, Ochs' "grey lady journalism" and Hearst's "yellowish journalism" survive all around us.

PT pleads guilty to being "yellowish" as Shafer describes it, and assumes the Courier is proud to take the mantle of "grey lady" journalism in Central Jersey. Everyone should find Shafer's piece an enjoyable and thought-provoking read, and PT heartily recommends it.

While the "controversy" has given the Courier the opportunity for a juicy story and some high-minded editorializing, many people express to PT an incredulity that the Courier would have settled so meekly for the Administration's explanation of the TIMING of the assignment of the mayor's 'escorts.'

There was constant comment throughout the course of the mayor's election campaign over the accompaniment of the candidate at every turn by the very officers who are now officially her 'escorts.' The feeling is that the Courier's investigation has not gotten to the bottom of this.

The Courier also refers to "two officers assigned by Hellwig to on-call duties." This can hardly be the case as the Director makes policy and is forbidden by law from usurping the Chief's role, the Chief alone being responsible for the disposition of police assignments. Unless, of course, IT IS TRUE, in which case more remains to be explained.

So, from PT's thoroughly caned point of view, the Courier STILL has work to do on THIS story.

And it also needs to reflect on how to refer to online presences other than its own. This is a topic that has been debated throughout the mainstream media. Websites and blogs were in the past often referred to as if they were offstage actors -- talked about, but never brought "on stage" so to speak.

The entire "controversy" as reported in the Courier has never pointed readers to the blog by citing its name or online address.

Even the greatest "grey lady" -- The New York Times -- has repented of this stylistic tic and in its online stories now actually links the reader to the cited source, whatever and wherever it is. They seem to have concluded that it is actually GOOD FOR BUSINESS to do so. Kind of makes them the online SOURCE OF RECORD. Not too shabby.

In addition to being "yellowish" journalistically, PT will also plead guilty to the use of IRONY.

Irony, as PT -- along with countless others -- has learned, is sometimes missed by the reader. In fact, the post that started this whole business was intended as IRONIC.

That being said, PT proposes to give readers a heads-up by developing an icon to indicate "irony ahead" sort of in the manner of those "falling rocks", "slippery when wet" and "bounding deer" caution signs one sees along the roadside.

Three drafts are shown below, and PT invites readers to recommend their choice.

Finally, PT would like to thank the Courier for even the INDIRECT attention. My guess is that PT has picked up more subscribers over this "controversy" than has the Courier.

PT doesn't know HOW to fix that!

-- Dan Damon

Not getting your own CLIPPINGS email daily? Click here to get started.