SACRAMENTO –Watching some recent debates about who is a
“real journalist” and who isn’t has been a source of amusement for me given
that being a real journalist has not always been that great of an honor. When I
told Mom I was getting a job in journalism, she was miffed that her son would
waste a decent education on such a low-rent pursuit.
That question of journalistic authenticity, though, has
been in the news as Congress has debated a “shield law” designed to protect
journalists from government prosecution – an outgrowth of the Obama
administration’s legal pursuit of people who leak and publish sensitive
government information. (Without leaks, there would be little real journalism,
by the way. And to government officials, everything is sensitive.)
Sen. Dick Durbin, that noted journalistic expert from
Illinois, wrote that “we must define a journalist and the constitutional and
statutory protections those journalists should receive.”….....news
organizations sometimes dismiss serious writers and reporters as “bloggers,” as
if to diminish the work they do. Wrote Rich: “Is David Gregory a journalist?
…......[N]ame one piece of news he has broken, one beat he has covered with
distinction, and any memorable interviews he’s conducted that were not with
John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Dick Durbin or Chuck Shumer.” Ouch. Bravo to Rich.
Journalism is about covering news, not echoing the talking points of government
officials......To
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