Raking Muck in the Third Millenium

I used to have a sign over my desk in a newspaper office long ago, in Gothic script it read Rake Some Muck Today. In today's world, raking muck is something of a lost art. I may not be able to singlehandedly bring it back, but this is a start.

17 March 2011

Integrity

Lawrence Pitts is my hero.

He writes columns about the necessary integrity of journalists. He's not shy about pointing out that bloggers, post-ers, tweeters (twits) and other random people who see themselves as journalists are just random people who erroneously see themselves as journalists.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Journalism is a craft more than a profession. It may even be a calling. It's not a hobby. It's not something you do in your spare time. And it's not something you do without even a nod to ethics.

Thou shalt not ambush. Thou shalt not lie. Thous shalt not impersonate someone. These are basic rules no real journalist would ever think of violating. The denizens of the blogosphere don't seem to think at all.

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