In the same vein as my recent smackdown of the Independent comes news that another mainstream media pundit has no clue about the blogs and the Internet. Elon journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Skube apparently wrote an op-ed piece in the LA Times blasting blogs, yet freely admits he’s never read any. Josh Marshall and Greensboro’s Ed Cone called him out on it, with Ed having even done it once before.
Skube invalidates his own premise by not fact-checking his very topic. Blogs might have errors, but their internet-savvy readers are quite adept at (and not at all shy about) correcting them. The days of getting away with fudging the facts – whether by blogger or so-called journalist – have gone the way of movable type. A writer can no longer afford to assume she is better informed than her audience.
As Einstein once said, “Online media, whether blogs or Wikipedia, will never match the accuracy of the established press.” I for one say thank goodness.
(h/t Paul)