Nine reasons to hate the media

By Jennifer J. Foster

Published: June 24, 2009

... Or not.

I got a kick out of this article from Vanity Fair’s Matt Pressman, who took a swing at the top nine reasons people hate the news media and how valid those reasons are or are not.

This isn’t some scientific breakdown or the groundbreaking work of a big sociological investigation. It’s just Pressman’s personal—though educated and experienced—opinion.

IRONY ALERT: Pressman lists reason No. 5 as, “We are total narcissists.“ Ha hahahaha ha ha ha ha!!! END IRONY ALERT

Anyway, along with listing the reasons, Pressman assesses their validity on a scale of 1 (least valid) to 10 (most valid).

Some of the reasons on the list don’t come as a surprise; charges of liberal and conservative bias both appear.

But my favorites come in at numbers 7 and 8.

7. (Non-journalists) think they could do a better job.

A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor that media-haters no doubt ate up, entitled “Why Journalists Deserve Low Pay,” pointed out in service of its argument that “journalists are not professionals with a unique base of knowledge such as professors or electricians.” That is, any idiot could do it.

Validity: 2. There’s no degree required, and certainly more people possess the necessary aptitude to be a journalist than, say, a rocket scientist or a professional basketball player. But most people (indeed, many journalists) are far worse writers than they think they are, and they don’t have the necessary gumption and, let’s face it, shamelessness to be a reporter.

Did you get that? Most people are far worse writers than they think they are. Can I get a witness?? But somehow, that doesn’t stop those non-writers from telling the writers how to do their jobs. Someone who doesn’t know what he’s doing telling you how to do what you’re doing? Trust me, folks; that’s just as annoying to us in our industry as it is to you in yours.

And about that point that journalists “are not professionals with a unique base of knowledge:“ I’m reminded of that old saying, “Jack of all trades, master of none.“ It’s true that journalists aren’t specialized for individual professions. They just have to be familiar enough—or able to become familiar enough—to write knowledgeably about anything and everything under the sun.

And then there’s Reason No. 8: They’re jealous.

No, really.

Check out Pressman’s article here.

Oh, and one more thing: If you think Pressman’s article is in any way, well, contradictory, don’t sweat it. Note that in Reason No. 8, he notes that VF writers can “drink during lunch.“

Hee hee.