Okay, I will not harp on this issue any longer, or much longer, but it's interesting that another Washington Post blogger is writing about the first blogger fiasco.
And what he writes is quite interesting:
Someone I know who does a fair bit of online work for this paper, whose initials are Gene Weingarten, said this afternoon, "Journalism is journalism, and you need people who have an idea what they are doing, even if they are just fulminating on the web...Doing the chat in real time is a little dangerous and a little terrifying. There's no editing, no lawyering, no time for contemplation, and all of that is coupled with an understood mandate to be as provocative as possible. The thing is instantaneous and haphazard, but not random or thoughtless. You're relying on instincts to save you from a truly terrible blunder. Thirty years of journalism experience is not incidental to this process."That's absolutely true. And I think the best bloggers have a measuredness to their madness. As do the best writers and activists and best politicians. You have to have something inside of you that says "stop" occasionally, or at least flips your stomach uncomfortably and makes you wonder why. That doesn't mean I do a perfect job, I'm not saying I do. But I do believe that as you get older you get an increasing sense of the value of age for stinky cheese, fine wine, and good decision-making.
