tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30409206.post5361338510361888086..comments2024-01-14T00:50:25.555-08:00Comments on The Cool Justice Report: Who Is For Real In Journalism World?The Cool Justice Reporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02073992081523946106noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30409206.post-16219605988113678942007-02-15T14:25:00.000-08:002007-02-15T14:25:00.000-08:00I found Ken Dixon's editorial amusing. I always fi...I found Ken Dixon's editorial amusing. I always find it amusing when mediocre minds proudly offer their calling cards to announce themselves. <BR/><BR/>Link to Dixon's column: http://www.connpost.com/kendixon/ci_5155736<BR/><BR/>Lawyers working with the press fret over the shield laws contemplated on the state and national levels because they appear to grant privileges to institutions rather than rights to people and offer narrow definitions of the press that threaten traditional reporters like Ken Krayeske. Ken is not newfangled, he is oldfangled, he is the oldfanglist type of reporter America knows, squarely middle of the road of American journalism. (Read your history Dixon.) What is new are journalists such as Dixon, who are eager to grab these privileges in a Brave New World and seem to consider a morally relativistic and weak new press as an improvement. <BR/><BR/>Amusing to read Dixon contrast himself with the riff raff intelligences and crude bullying of the Hartford Police Department. Instead, he asserts in clever tones fit for some fantasy of civil society, that what Krayeske did wrong is break the rules that define Dixon's privileges. For this, he should be happy Hartford police did not "massage his noggin," Dixon thinks. <BR/><BR/>One gets the sense that Dixon is wholly unaware of how new these privileges are, and how leaders in the press are beleagered by the trend that threatens to embed them permanently at great cost to our democracy. <BR/><BR/>Dixon is exhibit A of what is to come from that -- an army of reporters blind to their fundamental rights and grasping at any special dispensations they can get from the powers that be. <BR/><BR/>It should be noted that Dixon characterization of Krayeske's resume is truly unfair. I wouldn't be surprised if Krayeske's career as a journalist is longer than Dixon's. He leaves the impression that his career has comprised a blog and High Times. That isn't true. <BR/><BR/>Dixon also makes no effort whatsoever to get to know Krayeske's philosophy. He isn't doing this by the seat of his pants. His role in today's press is seen as unconventional but is the product of deep and abiding beliefs and years of experience. <BR/><BR/>DIxon's complaints are based on an unwritten etiquette book, truly a seat of your pants product. Indeed, he says Krayeske did a "no-no" by asking a question at a press conference. He adds that working journalists -- oh wait, another peccadillo of Dixon's -- not 'working journalists' but 'working reporters' "don't like civilians ... chiming in as if they were reporters." Civilians. Speak for yourself, please. This is a question of principle, not consensus anyway. Does Dixon know the difference? Probably not.<BR/><BR/>For all Dixon's preciousness you would think he developed his career at the New Yorker, not the inky nasty newsrooms of daily newspapers. He criticises Krayeske's intensity as if reporters at newspapers are fired and stripped of their titles -- you know, that thing of privilege - for getting intense. The fact is, newsrooms are notorious places for rampaging nutcases, miserable bullies, sometimes violence, screamers, hypocrits and even shakedown artists who often manage to hang on to their careers and even get promoted. Since it is nearly impossible to come up in the business without encountering some of that, it seems Dixon is a hypocrite as well. Maybe he is letting us in on a desperate wish for a more civilized profession. <BR/><BR/>Well, should that be a surprise? Look at the history of this profession. Look at the unapologetic rogues who owned newspapers and established for us the rights we so rely on now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30409206.post-69056734609368381982007-02-08T22:24:00.000-08:002007-02-08T22:24:00.000-08:00thanks for forwarding me this story. i've linked t...thanks for forwarding me this story. i've linked to it on my blog<BR/><BR/>this is such an important tale to me. it's such an injustice and i'm afraid NOTHING will come of it.<BR/><BR/>be well<BR/><BR/>roseAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09336609450397937789noreply@blogger.com