UPDATE: Someone just noted that it is possible this event isn't being hosted by the Press Club, but rather by another organization that is simply renting out the Press Club. We're investigating - stay tuned.
There's an upcoming panel at the National Press Club about the differences between bloggers and journalists and they invite GannonGuckert to be on the panel as, what? He's not a blogger - his so-called "blog" launched a mere 3 weeks ago, and it's hardly much of a blog. And he's most certainly not a journalist, even by the National Press Club's own definition on their Web site:
"You may qualify for Active membership if you fit into one of the following groups:So what is GG even doing on the panel? The other blogger invited is Wonkette, who, for the record, I adore, but who isn't a political/journalist blogger at all - she's a humorist, and that's great, but to put her opposite John Stanton of Congress Daily seems a bit inappropriate (not to mention, I can't wait till she starts talking about butt-fucking).
Work as a:
Reporter, editor, writer, publisher....
For a publication, news service, broadcast outlet or news Internet site that is:...
- Regularly issued
- Supported by advertising or paid subscriptions or published or funded by a non-profit organization Operated with editorial independence from any political, governmental, commercial or special interest
- Not a house organ of any organization or movement"
And in any case, what is GannonGuckert doing there at all? Like he's an expert on the difference between blogging and journalism? How so? He thinks journalism means parroting press releases and transcripts. As for blogging, again, he started a so-called blog 3 weeks ago and now he's representative of all bloggers? Is he even a blogger at all? Some standards the Press Club has there. They couldn't even get any REAL political bloggers on the panel? Did they even try?
But we really shouldn't be surprised, this is part of a larger ongoing trend, from the LA Times to the Brookings Institution, where bloggers and blogging are distilled and belittled to their most extreme fringe elements - a sex humorist (who again, we love) and a male hooker who isn't even a blogger or journalist at all. Neither is representative of political journalist blogging.
Yet again, the mainstream media is all about selling tickets and belittling the competition rather than addressing a topic seriously. Wonkette sells sex, and sex sells. And GannonGuckert, well, he's literally a whore, so res ipsa loquitor.
Stay tuned as we investigate who the actual sponsor is of this whore-fest.
