I can easily adjust to most of the shifts in society that have taken place during my adult years … women’s “lib” has been a great example. I grew up in a male dominated society and, while some would certainly say today’s is still dominated by my gender, I can also remember a time when my profession, public relations, was heavily dominated by men. Now, I’m in the extreme minority whenever I go to professional meetings. And that’s ok.
But one development I cannot stand has been in today’s “journalism.” I remember the days when reporters quoted honest-to-goodness real sources. Now they quote each other. Worse yet, they quote anonymous “sources.” Case in point: my hometown, Milwaukee, was shocked the other night when all the news sources in town started quoting foxsports.com as saying Brett Favre, that most beloved of all saints in Wisconsin, wanted to be traded away from the Green Bay Packers. No, no! Tell us it isn’t so!
But then came the reality check. They didn’t quote Brett Favre. They didn’t quote Favre’s agent. They didn’t quote the Green Bay Packers. No, they quoted a reporter. Over and over and over again. Since when are reporters sources?
Or, on the political scene, “an anonymous White House source said …” Now, why should I believe that? I wish I could remember who it was that once quoted “an anonymous White Horse souse” in a story. Now THAT I could believe.
Come on folks. Give us real news … or no news at all. I’d rather you try to find a good news story to report (believe me, you won’t have to quote anonymous sources on those) than dither on about something that somebody faceless and nameless said somewhere … we think.
And that’s the way it is …
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