Egos and Bloggers
Be forewarned. A group of bloggers in Ohio wanted, nay demanded seats at a fundraiser featuring Senator Obama.
Now there are volunteers who cannot attend such events based on cost, and are denied entry. Yet the Ohio blogs made their anger felt, and as a result the Ohio Democrats relented.
Now the arrogance and ego of the Ohio blogs is coming back to haunt them:Finally, Rothenberg is concerned that in arguing for the tickets, some bloggers likened their craft to that of a newspaper reporter. Newspaper reporters may attend such events, but they don't - or shouldn't - take even as little as a salted cashew from the bowl at the bar. Reporters surely are not entitled to take a seat reserved for a paying customer. The event is, after all, a fundraiser.
He turned them down and felt the wrath of the blog.
In the end, Obama paid for a blogger table. Still, Rothenberg is troubled, likening bloggers to the pamphleteers of the Revolutionary War period, without form or rules. 'In time, they are going to start selfpolicing or they are going to be policed.' Virginia blogs beware. Many of us are either too young or too beholden to decorous behavior (we are Virginians after all) to reduce ourselves to such nonsense.
Unfortunately, there are a handful who are not. If you're offended, then I'm talking to you.
At the last Sorenson conference, I argued vehemently for selfpolicing. Good speech should replace bad speech, and bloggers themselves will punish their own when they get out of line.
Have I been heard? The recent spat between Steve Chapman and BVBL, the antagonism of the Democratic primary, and the lack of ethical conscience amongst some all point towards an emphatic "no". Heck, we can't even humble ourselves agree to come together at a single conference because a handful of people were not "consulted" before hand!
Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the climate today. Tomorrow, legislators and readers will punish all of us for the arrogance and egos of the few.
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2 Comments:
Bloggers aren't journalists--they're expected to be biased and they are allowed to participate actively in politics, including volunteering, making campaign contributions and otherwise providing support.
That said, candidates should feel free to comp a friendly blogger every now and then, but not because of blackmail!
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