The writer, Bill Dedman, provides a list of the 144 "journalists" found to have given to political candidates. The list includes copy editors, real estate reporters, and at least one graphic artist.
Way to go, Bill, that's hard-hitting journalism right there.
I sent Mr. Dedman an email:
Mr. Dedman
You wrote: "The following 144 journalists made campaign contributions from 2004 through the first quarter of 2007, according to Federal Election Commission records studied by MSNBC.com."
Is a copy editor a "journalist"? Because there are several in the list of 144 you provided. How about a real estate reporter? Or a sports copy editor? Or a fashion editor? Or a graphic artist? They're in there too.
Unbelievable. You and Drudge are a good match. Unfortunately you don't work for him; you work for a news organization that should not have allowed such distorted nonsense to be printed.
Sincerely...
I followed up with:
Mr. Dedman
I forgot to ask: Have you made contributions to
political candidates? If so, who were they?
Thanks for the time...
I'll let you know if he writes back. (He did: give me a bit.)
2 comments:
I'm sure Mr. Dedman has a much more eloquent answer, but absolutely those people are all "journalists." I've worked for newspapers for 20 years, including as a copy editor, graphic designer and online editor. Those jobs (even a fashion editor) all require news judgment abilities and commitment to journalistic principles. Just because you're not rooting out government corruption or ducking bullets in Baghdad doesn't mean you're not a "journalist."
And as far as tying Dedman to Drudge, Dedman's been at the forefront of computer-assisted reporting for decades and has won the Pulitzer Prize for his work.
Thanks Mark
You'e right, but as for Dedman's purposes is it exactly fair to include them? Copy edotrs okay - but sports copy writers? Real estate reporters? And graphic artists? You don't think it's a bit reaching? And isn't the lede misleading?
And Dedman has been eloquent, explanatory, and fair in his several responses.
Post a Comment