The problem, Peter Beinart, is YOU!

[Career Prole]

Please pardon while I indulge myself for just one moment.

I was watching Cspan this weekend and there was a re-run of some "Opinion Awards" discussion which took place on 3/8.

On the panel was some editor from Wonkette (who I couldn't stand), David Brooks (ditto), Ariana Huffington, and Peter Beinart (friggin' idiot), among others, and they were discussing the relative merits of blogs v. their idea of "real journalism".

I've looked all over for a transcript and haven't found one so I'll paraphrase Beinart, but it won't be far off because it seared in when he said it.

He said bloggers "could" be helpful if "experts in their fields" were to blog on their areas of expertise.
For an example, he suggested "the aluminum tubes story" (we all remember that one, eh?) wouldn't have been reported so badly if an engineer blogger had brought forth why the tubes couldn't have been used in centrifuges.

Beinart then went on to say "We as journalists" can't bring that level of expertise in because we aren't as familiar with that aspect as someone with twenty years in the field, and thus was their reporting off the mark.

Beinart, you no-count excuse for a journalist, do your freakin' job!
The engineers are NOT going to approach the reporter, asshole, it's the other way around!

YOU, as the journalist, should have gotten off your scrawny ass and sought out the engineers and asked with notepad in hand, "IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, IS THIS AT ALL POSSIBLE?".

That is YOUR job!!

That's reporting, you snarky little prig! The story doesn't come to you, ready for edit!

Thanks for the war, you little twerp, and all you other phony-assed "new journalists" who can't be bothered stepping outside your offices except for luncheon!

End of rant...thank you for your time.

[BlueManDude]

1. Wonkette is totally vapid. Beinert just makes no sense.

[meegbear]

2. Bloggers are REQUIRED to be knowledgable about the topics

and journalists AREN'T? :banghead:

[Career Prole]

5. Heck, bloggers *make* themselves experienced if they find

they're on unfamiliar ground. They chase the story down, like reporters did in the good old days...and when they drop the story right in these nancies' laps, they say "No good...left-leaning...agenda-driven!" and print their unresearched "approved" stories.
:grr:

[librechik]

3. all of journalism has been taken over

by these "news service/editor types who don't believe in or don't have time for "investigative reporting"

they just report what they have been told by approved sources.

Their corporate overseers have told them to get rid of the investigators as well as the fact checkers, and they think that is just fine. It's NOT their job, as they will tell you with a straight face.

[Kurovski]

4. No shit, and amen!

I saw the last part of that presentation.

I was hoping Arianna would reach over and smack him one.

[GR]

6. The Video Transcript Is Supposed To Be On The Dailyhowler.com..

link but it didn't work this morning...you might try it again...

[Career Prole]

7. Thanks! I don't have sound here...

I'll give it a shot at the house. :)

[Cocoa]

8. experts at the energy department debunked the aluminum tubes

no nuclear bloggers were needed, just some reporters.

The thing about Beinart that most irritates me is that he claims to be a democrat. I don't see that guy as being on MY side, that's for sure. :mad:

[Kurovski]

9. And he certainly wasn't on the side of our troops

when his magazine sent them off on one of history's more dangerous wild goose chases by supporting an Iraq invasion.

They printed a mea culpa after the fact, but it was too little, too late.

Get it right THE FIRST TIME.

"Luncheon" that's priceless! The late and deeply missed DUer nostamj could have re-written the song from "Company" as "Here's To The Lazies Who Lunch."