Former NBC correspondent and current professor of journalism David Hazinski goes on a rant against Citizen journalism and the bloggers who participate in the new media world, crying out for regulation, denying the term “journalism” should be used — blah, blah, blah — the same old whiney crappola we’ve gotten more and more used to hearing from biased, out of work “Real Journalists” such as Mr. Hazinski.
Some whiney morsels:
Unfettered ‘citizen journalism’ too risky
By DAVID HAZINSKI
You’re beginning to get a lot more news … from you.
It ranges from the CNN YouTube debates to political blogs to cellphone video of that sniper who opened fire at an Omaha Mall. These are all examples of so called “citizen journalism,” the hot new extension of the news business where the audience becomes the reporter.
Supporters of “citizen journalism” argue it provides independent, accurate, reliable information that the traditional media don’t provide. While it has its place, the reality is it really isn’t journalism at all, and it opens up information flow to the strong probability of fraud and abuse. The news industry should find some way to monitor and regulate this new trend. …” – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wow, what a piece of art, huh? This guy is a “Michaelangelo”, towering over we lowly “Citizen journalists” with his command of the English language, is he not? So much better expressed, better educated; so much more qualified to spew out an opinion than we “wannabe journalists” with blogs — obviously.
“Supporters of ‘citizen journalism’”, he says — indicating the fact that anything you read beyond that statement is coming from a NON-SUPPORTER of Citizen journalism — bear that in mind. Speaking of “supporters”; that would be our FOUNDING FATHERS; you know, the guys who gave and risked so much to actually go out of their way to mandate a freedom of the Press in our nation. When they did so, I assure you they were NOT speaking of the “David Hazinskis” or the multinational corporations who’ve spewed them upon us; they were protecting US from our GOVERNMENT.
We ARE the “Press” they spoke of, Mr. Hazinski — NOT you and your biased mainstream media. The town criers. The suspicious Citizens with a pen, sneaking around, playing “gotchya” with our government leaders — THAT’S what a “journalist” does, sir. When you and your multi-national, huge, biased corporations failed to do this, you not only forced our Founding Fathers to roll in their graves, you lost your status as the “Press” and “journalists” and the respect of the American People. You don’t like it, I’m sure. After all, your so-called “profession” is a shrinking and outdated one and your livelihood is in jeapordy. Why? Because the “Press” our Founding Fathers protected in the Constitution had little to do with the concept of people becoming fat, lazy, rich and biased while sitting on their pasty rear ends with a pen.
So what’s his rant all about? Don’t worry — just keep reading and you’ll learn the real agenda behind Mr. Hazinski’s rant…
Some more:
“… Advocates argue that the acts of collecting and distributing makes these people “journalists.” This is like saying someone who carries a scalpel is a “citizen surgeon” or someone who can read a law book is a “citizen lawyer.” Tools are merely that. Education, skill and standards are really what make people into trusted professionals. Information without journalistic standards is called gossip. …”
(Snip!)
“… So without any real standards, anyone has a right to declare himself or herself a journalist. Major media outlets also encourage it. Citizen journalism allows them to involve audiences, and it is a free source of information and video. But it is also ripe for abuse. …”
(Snip!)
“… Having just anyone produce widely distributed stories without control can have the reverse effect from what advocates intend. It’s just a matter of time before something like a faked Rodney King beating video appears on the air somewhere.
Journalism organizations should head that off. Citizen reports can be a valuable addition to news and information flow with some protections:
• Major news organizations must create standards to substantiate citizen-contributed information and video, and ensure its accuracy and authenticity.
• They should clarify and reinforce their own standards and work through trade organizations to enforce national standards so they have real meaning. …”
Getting the idea yet, readers? No? Okay, here we go — Mr. Hazinski’s final bullet point (there are three, by the way) gives it away:
• Journalism schools such as mine at the University of Georgia should create mini-courses to certify citizen journalists in proper ethics and procedures, much as volunteer teachers, paramedics and sheriff’s auxiliaries are trained and certified.
Cha-CHING!!! Got it now?
In other words, Mr. Hazinski’s opinion alone is not enough to put bread on his table. He isn’t young enough or “pretty enough” for the People to look forward to watching him bring us the “news” as a “real journalist” on NBC anymore, so he makes his living teaching his brand of “journalism” in Georgia. Unfortunately, MSM jobs are shrinking, classroom enrollment is shrinking — all as a result of we “Citizen journalists” he despises so much — and as a result, he is proposing a self-serving “plan”…
We bloggers should attend his school so he can personally certify us as official, “Hazinski Certified Citizen Journalists“.
Gotchya, Mr. Hazinski, loud and clear.
PATHETIC.
***
Thanks to Crooks and Liars for linking in…
Of course, it’s a great honor as always to thank my good friend, Matthew O’Keefe, of Papamoka Straight Talk, for linking in and quoting…
Thanks also to A Stitch In Haste for linking in…
Other bloggers weigh in (non-partisan, of course), courtesy of MemeOrandum: at-Largely; Captain’s Quarters; QandO; Comments From Left Field (Adult language); Hot Air; Don Surber (Both a “real journalist” AND a “Citizen journalist”); Riehl World View
Loading ...
1:29 pm on December 14th, 2007 1
Thomas Payne was a “citizen Journalist” Think where we’d be without Common Sense.
Of course the caveat is that if you define yourself as one, then you should adhere to the protocols and practices as established by such things as the Chicago Handbook and the MLA style handbook, otherwise you are just another blogger with an opinion, no matter how well informed. It is the equivalent of calling yourself a “filmmaker” when you make poorly shot videos on YouTube.
There’s a lot of people deserving and at least 10x that amount undeserving.
Rumormongers like Matt Drudge aren’t- you GTL, I consider one who looks for the 5 W’s at least.
1:30 pm on December 14th, 2007 2
When the whores of the journalists sold out the American people on the news, what do they (journalists) expect. I am able to obtain more news from the internet, that just lays out the facts. I can make my own decision on what is happening, not some pencil pusher that puts his, or party, spin on it.
They need to be unemployed until the realize what they have done to the American public. But I fear it’s too late for them. Thank goodness for the internet.
1:41 pm on December 14th, 2007 3
Agreed, and I will add to that the need to also “trust, but verify” such things by checking sources – factcheck.org is a good start.
The internet can become a laundromat with so much dirty laundry on spin cycle….
8:36 pm on December 14th, 2007 4
Another Occupational Journalist Tantrum…
Question: What’s the only thing more pathetic than an occupational journalist (journalism is not a true profession, therefore there is no such thing as a “professional journalist”) who calls for …
10:07 pm on December 14th, 2007 5
Well, when so-called “journalists” take any side other than the truth, in my opinion their so-called “journalistic ethics” are as corrupt as anything. Giving a lie as much air time as the truth simply to have “balance” is not journalism. It’s stenography. Might as well just have the Minister of Propaganda (oops, “White House press secretary”) tell it to us directly rather than through the intermediary of these overpaid stenographers, as far as I’m concerned.
As for other products of the vaunted “journalistic ethics”, I’ll point out: Nedra Pickler. Judith Miller. The entire cast of Fox News. I rest my case. If this is journalistic “ethics”, I’ll take blogger ethics all the way, thank you very much!
12:50 am on December 15th, 2007 6
[...] I wanna thank Matt, Libby, and the GTO, all for linking in. And C&L as [...]
1:01 am on December 15th, 2007 7
Let me be the first to say that you Sir have covered every single angle on the hypocrisy from this bloviating jerk reporter.
I’m thinking that his original intent might not have been against Amazing and ORIGINAL sites like the GTL but against many blogs that spew facts that simply are not true.
From my prospective as a blogger I write my opinion on the news and spot the self serving swing intended from the so called “Legitimate” press. We as a people must never think that all we read, see, or hear is not with some political spin on it.
Amazing post Gunny and I am in your corner on this one. I just might steal a few comments for a post that all bloggers should be reacting too.
Nobody calls me a hack and gets away with it. Like Thomas Paine, I am not owned or bought by anyone on my blog and I’m sure the GTL has the same standard.
Last thought, is this jerk selling a book and stirring up hype and name recognition? Selling books is all about recognition isn’t it?
3:32 am on December 15th, 2007 8
Right on, Mat — the guy called us “hacks”. But he didn’t get away with it, brother
12:14 pm on December 15th, 2007 9
As a semi-educated citizen journalist I feel we have gotten into a rut of believing what has been writ by “real journalists” is the God’s truth. It is not. I believe we must trust our gut in most readings.
I now reject nearly all that is in the newspapers. I realize these made journalists must answer to their bosses and the bosses are fewer and wield more power than ever before. It must be stopped The independant Citizen Journalist must take up the fight for freedom of speech each dayand in any way they can to make sure the truth is never trampled.
2:24 pm on December 15th, 2007 10
It’s not a matter of trusting your gut or rejecting what is written in the newspapers. It is a matter of realizing that the newspapers serve their owners, not the general public, and thus are selective in what they publish and how they slant it. So reading the American media is like reading the Soviet media back in the day (the content is as heavily controlled, albeit by the oligarchy, not by the State). You have to read between the lines and check multiple sources before accepting anything published therein as provisionally true, and really, if you want reliable information going to foreign media or to the unfiltered Reuters/AP/etc. newsfeeds on the Internet so you can see the story before it got edited/butchered is the best way to do it.
One of the things that makes it hard to do this in the United States is that the SCLM pretends to be “unbiased” and thus you have to figure out what their particular slant on things is via a process of Kremlinology. One of the refreshing things about the British media is that they do not make any attempt to hide their biases. Any particular newspaper is frankly conservative, or liberal, or whatever, and wears it on their sleeves proudly. This makes the job of figuring out what might be true easier. If the Guardian, the Independent, and the Times all agree on the particular base facts surrounding an incident, probably those base facts are true. The conclusions that each paper draws from those base facts will probably be wildly different — “We’re losing!” (the Guardian), “The people of Iraq are losing!” (the Independent), “We’re winning!” (The Times), but by looking for overlapping data, you can arrive at a pool of data that you can provisionally assign truth value to, and draw your own conclusions. Short of being able to go over to Iraq myself and check things out (not recommended, I prefer living), that’s the best I can do. It’s not an easy process, but it’s a helluva lot better than just believing whatever crapoly Minister of Truth Perino throws out and that Pravda on the Hudson, Ivestia on the Potomac, and Itar-Tass on the Cable TV throw out as gospel truth… the more sources you check from different nations and the more overlaps you find between underlying facts , the closer you get to what *might* be truth. And you can never be 100% confident even of that, but (shrug)… what’s a poor penguin to do?
2:40 pm on December 15th, 2007 11
Right — “Professional Journalists” are slaves to their corporations, whom are slaves to their advertisers…
I am slave to nobody
10:07 pm on December 15th, 2007 12
I hope this turd has heard of one Benjamin Franklin; if memory serves, it seems that he was a citizen journalist. Yes, I am that old.
Wait, is Hazinski not a citizen? Can we see his green card or his work visa? He’s not even supposed to be in this country is he?
Again, what a turd.
10:35 pm on December 15th, 2007 13
Ben Franklin was pretty much the first blogger. Great point Two Dogs!
He just also ran a printing press and maybe that was the first experiment of regular folks with an opinion that was contrary to what the press of the day cashed the checks on. The truth in politics and the press does not sell well if the ones printing it have to swallow the loss of revenue. I’m not quoting Gunny but the bells ringing on the cash register do not ring if you publish what is percieved as the truth. Opinion and advertising dollars go hand in hand.
1:04 pm on December 16th, 2007 14
“I’m not quoting Gunny but the bells ringing on the cash register do not ring if you publish what is percieved as the truth. Opinion and advertising dollars go hand in hand.”
i see no evidence of that. people will pay money for truth, i have and do, instead of watching ‘cat caught up in tree/sports/weather tv news’ for free.
7:45 am on December 17th, 2007 15
Ben Franklin also published under an alias as well…the man was ahead of his time. Plus he had a great sense of humor and was one hell of a Statesman- too smart for President,imho.
“Fart Proudly”…..
hj