The blogger’s soapbox

In episode 26 of the podcast we talk about the drama that is ongoing in blogging land over the stunt involving Gizmodo & the TV-Be-Gones. While I don’t usually publish topics of this kind on this site, I wanted to post a follow-up from the show with my own editorial.Gizmodo pulled a prank at CES. The video got tons of hits & is continuing to get great mileage all for the small price of one staffer being unable to return to future CES events. It was funny, a bit rude, it broke the rules, and they were punished according to the severity of the “crime”.The latest responses from out there in blog land do nothing but prove that they aren’t the only publishing outlet or blog to try to get more mileage for their controversy. The trendy thing to do this week is to call Gizmodo out and question their integrity.

“Every news organization has only its credibility and reputation to rely on.”Tony Burman, editor-in-chief of CBC News

Take a look at Gizmodo’s posts and pranks and let it stand on it’s own reputation. Why is anyone even bothering to impose their integrity on them? It’s what we do; we play the ‘I don’t agree with you and will speak of you in a condescending manner to ensure that no one makes the mistake of associating you with me’ game. I really don’t see anyone associating Robert Scoble with Gizmodo or Gawker Media. Who cares how crazy you think their ‘down with the man’ response is. By responding to them in the same juvenile manner you just keep playing into their game.I like to hear opinions of my favorite sites and bloggers but the soapbox everyone is standing on is driving me away. Some of us are editorial journalists, some are reporters, some are teachers and some are entertainers. We don’t all fit into the same mold and with the repeated attempts to impose your personal web publishing ideals on others you sound like an old school journalism professor (you know, the kind who still thinks the Internet is a fad and nothing good can come of it). If you want to interject your opinion, use a little constructive criticism. Stop flinging mud to boost your stats.ReadWriteWeb makes a great point regarding Lam’s response:

” That is the sort of thing that makes you a journalist. And what’s wrong with letting the questions you ask prove your independent spirit? No amount of silly pranks will ever do so much to prove your integrity as will the actual reporting you do. That’s something that any blogger who wants to be taken seriously as a journalist must learn. Actions might speak louder than words, but not if your actions are juvenile stunts that obscure your reporting.”

Perhaps everyone has been trying to say the same thing, I just wish in the future that the blogs I know and read will not stoop to the same immature level when they try to say it.Excuse me while I put away my soapbox, I have to get off the bandwagon as this is my stop. I have tech stuff to write about now.