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Don't shoot the messenger
Jun. 24th, 2010 07:05 pmSo it's let's be angry on the Internet day. That's cool because I sure have something to be angry about. Like I said, I'm not going to comment on the McChrystal affair because what's done is done but what I am going to comment on is the utter ignorance people have toward basic journalism. I really believe there should be a journalistic literacy course in school the same way they are trying to institute financial literacy so that people know what to expect from a journalist. People who are blaming Rolling Stone for what happened to McChrystal don't understand journalism in the least. They also didn't read the article.
Anyone who did could see the reason Hastings wrote it was to present the Afganistan situation to a country that has largely forgotten about it. This is why he said he wasn't expecting a major blowup. Because he didn't think anyone would notice something written about the Afganistan war. Accusing Hastings of being responsible for McChrystal losing his job is insane. It is a journalist's job to report, and yes, Rolling Stone for all its Lady Gaga coverage does count as a journalistic publication. If people don't like the message, TOUGH SHIT. People saying that Hastings took remarks off record are also being ridiculous. I will accept that not everyone knows the concept of off-the-record and when to request something be taken off record and whether that request will even be honored or whether it has to be. But someone in that position knows. McChrystal has not made any comment expressing that statements were taken off the record.
Yes, a journalist is going to get in close with their subject. That's how a journalist gets the real story instead of a polished front someone puts on when they're being briefly interviewed. This is the idea behind long form journalism, which usually takes weeks and weeks of research. There is nothing wrong with this. If people don't want to be reported, don't agree to let a journalist into your war room after he/she has informed you that he/she is a journalist. It's that simple. You talk to a journalist, it's on the record unless you say otherwise. All journalists can do is ask people to tell them things; they have no way to extract it otherwise. Just an unspoken agreement that the person will tell their story and the journalist will report it. This is what separates them from fake journalists like the paparazzi. Be pissed at what happened, but don't you dare blame a journalist for doing his job!
I'm also unsure of what to think about the "Lavender" reporter who infiltrated a group for men struggling with same sex attraction under a guise so it could publicly out the priest attending it. Said priest has been a frequent attacker of homosexuality. While I understand Lavender's intentions of showing the priest's hypocrisy, I must question lying to get into a private support group where people are discussing personal issues. I have this belief that stooping to the level of the other side never results in a solution. It just makes us look worse in the eyes of those we are trying to convince. Yes, I know hard-core bigots are never going to be changed, but there are always the undecided. They are the ones who have the most pull, and they are the people who are often critical of stunts like this.
In other news, Celebritology tells me Robert Pattinson is distantly related to Vlad the Impaler. Who knew?
Anyone who did could see the reason Hastings wrote it was to present the Afganistan situation to a country that has largely forgotten about it. This is why he said he wasn't expecting a major blowup. Because he didn't think anyone would notice something written about the Afganistan war. Accusing Hastings of being responsible for McChrystal losing his job is insane. It is a journalist's job to report, and yes, Rolling Stone for all its Lady Gaga coverage does count as a journalistic publication. If people don't like the message, TOUGH SHIT. People saying that Hastings took remarks off record are also being ridiculous. I will accept that not everyone knows the concept of off-the-record and when to request something be taken off record and whether that request will even be honored or whether it has to be. But someone in that position knows. McChrystal has not made any comment expressing that statements were taken off the record.
Yes, a journalist is going to get in close with their subject. That's how a journalist gets the real story instead of a polished front someone puts on when they're being briefly interviewed. This is the idea behind long form journalism, which usually takes weeks and weeks of research. There is nothing wrong with this. If people don't want to be reported, don't agree to let a journalist into your war room after he/she has informed you that he/she is a journalist. It's that simple. You talk to a journalist, it's on the record unless you say otherwise. All journalists can do is ask people to tell them things; they have no way to extract it otherwise. Just an unspoken agreement that the person will tell their story and the journalist will report it. This is what separates them from fake journalists like the paparazzi. Be pissed at what happened, but don't you dare blame a journalist for doing his job!
I'm also unsure of what to think about the "Lavender" reporter who infiltrated a group for men struggling with same sex attraction under a guise so it could publicly out the priest attending it. Said priest has been a frequent attacker of homosexuality. While I understand Lavender's intentions of showing the priest's hypocrisy, I must question lying to get into a private support group where people are discussing personal issues. I have this belief that stooping to the level of the other side never results in a solution. It just makes us look worse in the eyes of those we are trying to convince. Yes, I know hard-core bigots are never going to be changed, but there are always the undecided. They are the ones who have the most pull, and they are the people who are often critical of stunts like this.
In other news, Celebritology tells me Robert Pattinson is distantly related to Vlad the Impaler. Who knew?
